The Spellmaster's Mother
by Takarifan101
Summary: When a mysterious circus run by supernatural creatures known only as the Ringmasters arrives in Whitechapel, Ethan is forced overcome his fears when they set their sights on his friends. Unfortunately things take a turn for worse when little by little their true intentions and purpose lead to an enemy he never thought possible.
1. When the Circus Comes to Town

A/N: When I finished Benny's Baby I was pretty burnt out, don't get me wrong I love writing but I needed a break. But now after taking about a month off I've come up with another set of stories I think you'll enjoy.

More than anything I want to create an antagonist that will keep people up at night and what better way to do that than in stories? The last two monsters I made (Alec/Coal and Sasha) weren't that scary. These guys and the ones I'll be introducing in the other stories I hope will freak you out, they kinda spooked me and I'm the one who created them.

So hopefully you'll stick around and enjoy The Spellmaster's Mother it'll be mostly an Ethan/Sarah story with some Erica/Benny on the side. Please leave a review if you like or hate what you read, feedback is one of the most important parts of writing, and I'd love to hear what you have to say! Thanks again! Enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 1: When the Circus Comes to Town

_Six year old Ethan fidgeted as his parents held a small schedule up. He groaned in annoyance, didn't they realize they were wasting time standing around doing nothing? The circus bustled with life around them as people went to fro, all over announcers could be heard as they tried to catch the attention of the ever passing crowd, and all young Ethan wanted to do was get out there and experience it all. Then without warning the smell of freshly popped popcorn assaulted his nose and on instinct he felt his mouth water. He tugged his mom's pants._

"_Can we get some popcorn?" asked Ethan as he licked his lips. It smelt so good. "Mom?"_

"_Give me a moment sweetie," said Samantha as she patted him on the head. She went back to talking with Ross. He huffed in annoyance and decided to take matters into his own hands. He inhaled deeply and followed the scent until at long last he came upon the popcorn vendor._

"_Hey there little guy," said the man as he leaned over the counter. "Can I get you some popcorn?"_

"_How much can I get for a dollar?" Asked Ethan as he held up the entirety of his money. The man seemed to think about, and for agonizing moment Ethan feared his dollar wouldn't be enough. Then man flashed him a smile and scooped up a large container of popcorn. _"_On the house kid, enjoy the circus!"_

_Ethan smiled, thanked the vendor, and after eating a handful decided it was time to head back to his family. The only problem was he had no idea where they were. He walked through the midway eating his popcorn looking for any sign of his mother or father. He saw performers, animals, other vendors, but nowhere did he see his mom, dad or the familiar color of his baby sister's stroller. Panic began to well up in the pit of his stomach as he continued to look. Without realizing it he began to run. Did they leave him behind? That wasn't possible, was it? Had they decided they liked his sister more than him?_

_The popcorn container clattered to the ground as he raced along the rows of tents. His family had to be here, the needed to be here. They wouldn't leave him behind, they couldn't! __After what seemed like an eternity he ran darted the nearest tent hoping by some strange miracle his family would be there, and if they weren't then maybe he could at least ask one of the __employees for help. His heart sank when he saw a bunch of strangers watching masked figures on stage. The performers danced and mimicked motions of those in the crowd._

_Ethan summoned the last bit of his courage and walked towards the front of the stage. He looked up at the performers and asked for help. Instead of an answer they began to copy him motion for motion, behind him the crowd began to laugh. Ethan felt the world spin around him, the laughter and the performers became one, they were all laughing at him for wanting his family, for wanting to go home. He fell to the ground and began to cry, he covered his ears trying his best to block out the noise._

_They were laughing at him because he was scared, because he was alone. Ethan hugged his knees close to his chest and continued to cry__._

* * *

Ethan leaned on his elbows and stared out the window. He watched as the leaves floated towards the ground and wished at the moment he was far away from Hannah Price and her annoying morning announcements. In an attempt to block out her over excited voice he closed his eyes and tried to think of something, anything that might distract him until they were over. His first thought was Sarah, at least until he remembered his last attempt at talking to her, and decided to think of something a little less embarrassing.

And for some strange reason his mind jumped to the last failure of a date with they had had together. He sighed in defeat and decided that maybe for once Hannah's announcements weren't that bad.

_"And don't forget that we'll be having a special performance in the auditorium tomorrow, and all students are welcome to attend during fifth period."_

"How does she manage to be so happy?" Groaned Benny as he threw down his pen in agony. Ethan glanced over at his friend's doodle and laughed, it was a picture of Benny blowing up the speaker. "I get here and all I want to do is sleep."

"I miss sleeping," whispered Rory from behind them. "But I think what I miss the most is drooling when I'm sleeping. There's nothing better than a good night's drool."

"Gross," said Ethan and Benny in unison.

_"And as a special surprise last night we've received word that Everlasting Circus will be arriving in Whitechapel this weekend!"_

Ethan felt himself pale, and from behind he heard Rory squealed in excitement. All around people began to mummer.

_"That's right, Everlasting Circus will be arriving here in the next few days and will stay all throughout next week! And as a special treat students get in for free, all you have to do it show you're student ID at the entrance! Your first period teachers have been given flyers with information on them, I hope to see you there!"_

The class exploded into discussion, and despite Mr. G's best attempts there was no hope of getting things back under control.

"If it's anything like in the movies then it's going to be cool," said Benny as he stared off into space. "Can you imagine all the things I might be able to deep fry? My mouth is watering just thinking about it!"

"Deep fried chocolate rats," said Rory as he leaned over his desk. "Or maybe they'll have a house of mirrors, I've always wanted to go into one of those."

Ethan lost track of the conversation as he watched Mr. G hand the flyer to the closest student. Of all the things that had to happen it had to be a circus. He closed his eyes as he remember the last time he had gone to one. He shivered.

"Hey Earth to Ethan, are you there?"

"Huh what?" Asked Ethan as he returned to reality. "S-Sorry, what were you talking about?"

"We were talking about clowns," said Rory with a smile. "He think's they can fit into those cars with magic, I think they're like silly putty and-"

"You ok man?" Asked Benny as he looked at him. "You went pretty white there more a moment, like you just a needle white."

"I-I'm fine."

"Are you scared?" Asked Rory as he leaned in closer. "You totally are, aren't you?"

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Ok, fine. Maybe I might be a little scared, the last time I went to circus something bad happened."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," whispered Benny as he leaned back in his chair. "Dude that was like when you were six."

"What happened?" Asked Rory as he poked Ethan with his pencil. "Tell me."

Ethan shook his head; he didn't want to talk about it. Rory leaned over his desk and continued to poke him. Benny sighed:

"When Ethan was six he went to a circus with his family. Now imagine a six year old smaller younger less Ethan-y Ethan. He wandered off to get popcorn and got separated from his mom and dad. Being the smart little kid he was he went into the nearest tent looking for help, the only problem- he went into the tent with a creepy mimic act, and instead of helping him, they started to make fun of him. Poor little E got so freaked out by the whole thing he hasn't watched a movie or even talked about it since."

"Aww," said Rory as he looked at him with sympathy in his eyes. "Poor little Ethan."

"It was a bad year for both of us," said Benny as leaned back at his chair. "That was also the year my mom died. On the bright side it was the year E moved to Whitechapel. But enough with with this depressing stuff, let's talk deep fried circus food."

Ethan sighed, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Ethan caught sight of Sarah and Erica at the end of the hall and felt his heart race. "Maybe we shouldn't go this way, the other way is faster." He tried to turn down another hall.

"Oh no you don't," said Benny as he caught him by the backpack. "You haven't talked to Sarah since Stern exploded last week, I think it's time you fixed that."

"I have too talked to her, its just things have been weird between us since that date."

"Like I said it's time to fix that, besides Erica will only talk with me if your there to talk to Sarah. So it's time for you to man up, here," he snapped his fingers and a cupcake appeared. "And if things start to go south just start eating it, trust me it works all the time when I'm talking with Grandma."

"Hey guys," said Sarah as she waved to them. "Nice cupcake." Ethan blushed and Benny gave him a thumbs up.

"What do you want?" Asked Erica as she crossed her arms and glared at Benny. "Can't you see we're talking?"

"About the circus?" Asked Benny as he gave her a smile.

"Uh duh," said Erica as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "That's all anybody can talk about, I looked it up on my phone and apparently it travels all over the world and just appears without notice."

"Sounds pretty cool," said Sarah as she smiled at Ethan. "What do you think Saturday night we head over to the circus?"

"I don't know," said Ethan timidly as he stared at the ground. It was one thing to admit to Benny and Rory he was afraid, but to Sarah? Never. "I've got a lot of things I need to get done over the weekend."

"We don't have to go over the weekend, it's here until the end of next week."

"I-I guess, I mean wouldn't you rather go see or a movie or something?"

"This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Sarah excitedly as she grabbed his hand. Ethan felt himself go red. "You can't tell me you're really going to pass on it."

He shrugged his shoulders and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "You're not scared are you?"

Erica snorted and did her best not to laugh if possible Ethan was sure he went even redder than ever before. He pulled his hand free from hers. "I-I'm not scared. W-why would I be scared? I mean we've fought creepy things before, this is just a bunch of tents and performers and stuff."

"It's ok if you're scared."

"I'm not scared," yelled Ethan causing all his friends to give him a weird look. "Let me know when you're going and I'll be there."

* * *

"The harder to tried to convince Sarah you weren't scared the more it sounded like you were scared," said Benny as he peered out the window with the binoculars. "You should've just eaten the cupcake like I told you."

Ethan rubbed his face as he thought about everything that had happened. Why had he said that to Sarah? He didn't want to go anywhere near that circus. He shivered as he thought about the performers who had mocked when he was little. He leaned back in his chair and tried to distract himself from everything that had happened.

"You know it's pretty obvious Sarah wants to hang out with you, maybe you should try asking her out on a date again."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," grumbled Ethan. "Do see anything interesting?"

"I see a bunch of lights just past the park," said Benny without moving from the window. "I wonder if that's where they're setting up the tents and stuff."

"Really? That would make sense considering that's the most open space in the entire city."

"Yup it's the tents, they're putting one up now."

Ethan got up and took the binoculars from his friend, he peered through the lenses and sure enough in the distance he could see a bunch of bright lights and what looked like poles going up. He handed them back to Benny and sighed.

"I can't believe I talked myself into going to the circus."

"Don't worry I'll be there, and so will Sarah and Erica. Nothing bad will happen. It'll be like a double date, expect we're not actually dating them," said Benny as he patted his friend on the shoulder. He snapped his fingers and grabbed his jacket, "Come on I'm going to prove that the circus isn't that scary."

"Where are we going?" asked Ethan as he stared at his best friend. Benny pointed out the window at the large patch of lights. "No, there is no way I'm going over there."

* * *

If there was one thing Ethan should've learned by now it was Benny unique ability to talk him into stupid situations. By the time they reached the tents it was almost eleven, and both boys shivered in the cold night air. Ethan rubbed his hands together trying to keep them warm and stopped when they came to a strange chain link fence covered with a blue tarp. Though they couldn't see through it the sounds of people could be heard on the other side.

"I'm surprised we haven't see anyone else here," said Benny as he looked around. "You'd think that more people would be trying to get a glimpse of the first circus in years that's ever come to Whitechapel. Hey I think I found a hole."

Benny motioned for him to come forward and pointed to the small tear in the cloth. Ethan leaned forward and peered through. Sure enough people were moving in all direction setting up booths, tents, moving animals to and fro. His fears and worries suddenly felt so childish and stupid, how could this be scary?

He gave Benny a smile, who in turn gave him a thumbs up. Ethan peered through the tear again, maybe he'd catch sight of something cool like a lion or an elephant. Instead a woman passed by wearing a a bright red coat and top hat. From the way she was calling out orders it was pretty obvious she was the one in charge.

"That must be the ringmaster," thought Ethan as he waited for her to turn. Another figure, much taller than the woman though similarly dressed, appeared by her side. Ethan frowned as he tried to get a better look at them. The taller man's head shot up, as did several of the various workers. The woman turned towards the fence and he felt his breath catch in his throat. The curly brown hair, the bright green eyes, she looked at him and smiled.

"Long time so see Ethan."

It wasn't possible. Then the second Ringmaster turned, and Ethan struggled to catch his breath, it had no face.

_We the Ringmasters want Whitechapel to be pure, and shall remove those who dream of a cure._

He stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. He scrambled to his feet. "We need to go, we need to go now!"

"Why?" Asked Benny as he ran to keep up with him. "What's going on? What did you see E?"

Ethan said nothing as he continued to run, he looked over his shoulder at his best friend, the brown hair, the green eyes, it wasn't possible. The Everlasting Circus had come to town, the question was what had come with it.


	2. The Show Must Go On

A/N: Ok so I'm sorry about the super delayed update. I'll give you a rundown of everything's that happened, I had work, I got a nasty stomach virus (which I still have, going on 2+ weeks), and I was helping a fellow writer with their fanfiction (which we ended up stopping and starting up again), so I apologize for not updating in the time since. Please don't hate me.

But here it is! Chapter 2! Enjoy, and thanks for all the kind reviews on Chapter 1, I wasn't expecting it to take off quite as fast as it did. I hope I can keep up the same level of story telling you all want! (And I've put some hints in here dealing with names, anyone who can guess what they are get's a sneak peek at the next chapter.)

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 2: The Show Must Go On

It was a little after midnight when the stark grey fog slowly spread through Whitechapel. Unnaturally it traveled along the ground branching out in different directions before rising into the air above it. Ethan watched the strange phenomenon from his window, and glanced at the collection of lights that made up Everlasting Circus.

"I'm not afraid," said Ethan to himself without much conviction. "I'm not afraid it's just a bunch of tents and people."

After a few moments the circus vanished into the spreading cloud and became nothing more than a shadow in the various layers of mist. He leaned back in his chair feeling uneasy; his earlier searches for 'faceless men', 'faceless ringmaster', and 'ringmasters', had all been dead ends. The only one that had given way to any information had been thanks to a search on Everlasting Circus. Dated almost nine years the article read:

"Eris T. Weelec's 'Everlasting Circus' Brings Thrills!"

There was a single grainy photo of Eris wearing a ringmaster's outfit and white mask. He enlarged the picture and sighed feeling defeated. It was too small too make out any details and enhanced it looked even worse. Could Eris be the brown haired woman with the green eyes that seemed to know him? Was she the one responsible for the faceless thing he had seen earlier? Ethan thought about it for a moment and jumped when his cellphone went off. He laughed at himself and was glad none of his friends were around to see how jumpy the day's events had made him.

_Good thing we left when we did that fog is crazy, see you tomorrow- B_

He walked over to his window and examined the grey that now made up the entirety of the city. Dull lights could be made out though the wisps of the fog as they stirred in the light evening air. The movement of the mist gave the impression of shadows dancing, of things that existed beyond the imagination of any normal person. Whether these thoughts came from the woman he had seen, or the faceless ringmaster he would never know. The corner of his eyes burned with the sting of exhaustion and in one fluid motion he pulled the curtains closed.

Ethan lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. After what seemed like an eternity he drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.

* * *

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

_The rhythmic beat of hearts gave them purpose, gave them reason. The sounds of those who had been gifted with mortality, of those in danger by the ones who dared mock them, dared to take human form. They were the disease that needed to be cleansed, that must be utterly and completely destroyed. __One by one the faceless Ringmasters lumbered through the fog, each one taking notes of these sounds and more._

"_I have gifted you with a near impenetrable fog, now bring me the information I desire."_

_They broke into groups before turning down different streets, passing by houses and counting the bodies of the citizens within. The amount of heartbeats contradicted the count of bodies, for every two live beating hearts, there must have been at least four silent bodies._

"_The plague has spread beyond our control."_

"_Purge…. Purge…. Purge…" thought the creatures as they continued to pass the houses. "We must purge…."_

_Two Ringmasters broke off from their group and approached their specialized target. In the upper window the Morgan boy appeared looking uneasy and anxious, it was almost as if he could see through the illusion. A moment later the curtains were shut and room went dark. Both took a step forward and stopped at theirs master's command._

"_Do not approach, there several protections around the house. For now the Ringmasters will watch. Tomorrow we shall take the necessary steps to ensure the boy's obedience." _

_The Ringmasters began to arrive en mass driven by the commands given to them. They arrived with heads turn towards the window, their empty faces giving away nothing as they continued to collect around the street. They gathered, they watched, and they waited. Then in unison they thought: _

"_Sleep city and child cursed by fate, for soon the circus opens its gate."_

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

* * *

"And then Ethan starts yelling that we need to go," said Benny as he dramatically recapped their adventure from previous night for Rory, Sarah and Erica. "Turns out he saw some weird faceless thing, like seven feet tall, dressed like a circus performer, and then it said: 'We the Ringmasters want Whitechapel pure, and shall get rid of a cure' or something. So we ran as fast as we could, right E?"

"Yeah," said Ethan as he looked down trying to hide the small blush on his face. Even the circus, faceless monster and mysterious woman, couldn't dash his feelings for Sarah, who for the first time in recent memory was actually sitting down to eat lunch with them. He tried his best to play it cool. "It was pretty strange."

"What did it look like?" Asked Rory as he leaned forward desperate for more details. "What did it sound like?"

"I-I didn't hear it," said Benny slightly disappointed. "And I didn't get a chance to see it either, we had to get out of there. If someone or something had caught us we might have gotten into trouble for trespassing... or worse."

"So you didn't see it?" Asked Erica as she raised her eyebrows.

"No only Ethan did."

"So your basically telling us that Ethan is the only one who saw and heard this 'thing', and you didn't?"

"Yeah," said Ethan suddenly worried at the direction this was going. "So Benny didn't get a chance to see it, what's your point?"

"Yesterday it was pretty obvious you were scared of the circus," said Erica as she looked directly at him. "How do you know just didn't confuse it for a one of the employees?"

"I-I'm not afraid of the circus," said Ethan as he stood up ready to defend the little shred of dignity he had left. He noticed the way Sarah looked at him and sat back down feeling strangely uncomfortable. "I-I'm not afraid, and I didn't make this up, I know what I saw."

"Not true," said Rory obliviously. "Remember yesterday in class when Benny told me how you got lost when you were six, and those performers made fun of you for wanting your family and you've been afraid of it ever since?"

"That must've been horrible," said Sarah as she gave him an almost pitiful look. "No wonder you didn't want to go, if you were just afraid why didn't you tell me?"

Erica laughed out loud as Ethan turned a bright shade of red, what he wouldn't give to just disappear right now. Benny sighed, and before he could say anything Sarah gave her friend a sharp glare. Erica's laugh turned into an awkward cough.

"If Ethan says he saw something then he probably did, this is Whitechapel," said Benny as he patted his friend on the back. "I think we should investigate."

"I'm in," said Rory enthusiastically. "Especially if it means we get to sneak into the circus after hours."

"Definitely," said Sarah as she gave him a smile. Ethan felt his heart swell, she believed him! "It wouldn't be the first time something like this happened, remember the blood drive?"

"Your turning into one of them," said Erica, as she stood up annoyed. "My best friend has turned to the geek side and there may be no hope for her."

And on that note Erica left them.

* * *

"So does anyone actually have any idea what the surprise performance is?" asked Ethan as he walked alongside Sarah towards the auditorium. Behind them Rory and Benny were arguing about the elasticity of cotton candy and it's effect on clowns. "Since when does school cancel fifth period classes for a show?"

"No idea," said Sarah. She looked down uneasily and cleared her throat. "Do you still want to go to the circus with me over the weekend? Because if your up for it then we don't have to go, I totally get the whole being afraid thing. Not that it's something to be embarrassed about because it's not."

Ethan noticed that she was blushing and found himself at loss for words. Was this her way of telling him that she didn't want to go or that she really wanted to go? Maybe it was a sign that she wanted to go on a date with him? As they passed by one of Whitechapel's various empty trophy cabinets his reflection passed over a golden mask and he stopped. It couldn't be, could it?

"I never noticed that before," said Ethan as he peered through the glass trying to read the inscription. Unfortunately someone had scratched the name off. "Has this always been here?"

"Yup, that's the mask they gave my mom when she graduated," offered Benny. "It was a gift from the teachers for all the work she put into the theater program."

"Your mom won an award for the school?" asked Sarah as she too stopped to get a better look at it. "I never knew that."

"What was your mom's name?" asked Rory as he peered into the glass. "I can't read it."

"Celeste," said Benny with a smile. "Celeste Weir."

* * *

When they reached the auditorium Ethan was surprised to see it so packed, all over students were trying to find seats or at least standing room. Luckily They found four seats on the side row, and sat together unsure of what to expect. The lights began to flicker on and off and woman wearing a white mask appeared on stage.

"Greetings Whitechapel High, my name is Eris T. Weelec, and your teaching staff has kindly agreed to a sneak peek of what my circus has to offer." The students began to cheer wildly. "I can guarantee you haven't seen anything like the show we've put together for you today."

"I saw her last night," whispered Ethan to Benny and Sarah. "I saw her with the faceless creatures, she knew my name."

The lights went out and the students cheered even louder. On stage the only visible object was Eris's floating white mask. "Now without further ado I present to you, Everlasting Circus's Fox Troupe!"

The lights came back on and she was gone. In her place were the performers wearing smiling orange fox masks, kimono's and karate GIs. Behind them two performers dressed entirely in white began to beat against drums. Ethan felt his heart race as images of the performers who had mocked him flashed through his mind.

The performers heads snapped up as the lights began to flash. The drums beat loud and the dancers began to move about the stage in quick and syncronized motions. Combined with the drum beat Ethan felt his heart swell with both awe and fear. Several of them kimono clad performers twirled red streams while keeping the frantic yet mesmerizing pace. Ethan felt himself flinch as the lights continued to flicker.

"Don't worry Ethan," said Sarah with a smile as she took his hand in hers. "I'm right here if you need me."

Ethan nodded and took in a deep breath to try and steady his nerves. He was scared but he could make it through the entire show, he could that. The dance continued on for another ten minutes before the white masked performers rushed forward. The lights went out and they moved like phantoms through the darkness. They moved in unison and Ethan felt tears sting at the corner of his eyes. He remembered the crowds laughing at him, laughing at the poor little lost boy who wanted his family. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, anything else.

"That's incredible," whispered Sarah as she watched them move. "How can they do that in that dark?"

"There's something familiar about this dance," mumbled Benny as he watched them move. The lights came back on and Ethan opened his eyes. The white masks had taken their place at the drums again.

"_For this next part, we will need a volunteer from the audience!"_

"Me! Me! Me!" Screamed Rory as he waved his arms wildly and jumped up and down in his seat. "Pick me!"

"Rory put your hand down," hissed Ethan in fear and annoyance. "We know somethings wrong with the circus."

"E's right," said Benny. "Put your hand down."

"But I might get a chance to get a better look at them," whined Rory as he continued to wave his arms. "Besides we're supposed to be investigating!"

A single performer cartwheeled of the stage and landed right in front of Rory, it raised its hand and pointed at him. Rory shot up in excitement and waved to the the students as he the joined the troupe on stage. The dancers moved to various places and began to dance in the same motion. Streamers whipped through the air as they were waved back and forth. In the center of it all stood Rory with a huge smile on his face.

"Something's not right," whispered Ethan as he watched the streamers move. "There's something different about this dance."

"What?" Asked Sarah without taking her eyes off the stage. "What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know but it's different, I-I can feel something."

"E's right," said Benny suddenly. "There's something about the formation and the streamers. It's almost like…."

The lights began to flicker, the drumbeat increased, and the performers began to chant. The streamers began to glow bright red and at that moment Ethan realized his friend was in danger.

"Rory get out of there!" screamed Ethan as he stood up. Behind him several others called out in shock and alarm as well. There was a flash of bright light, and Rory gave them one final look. To anyone else it could be described as awe, to Sarah, Ethan and Benny it was fear.

There was a flash of bright light and Rory was gone.


	3. Welcome to the Circus

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, I was working with AnotherSideTheOtherStory on some of her stories and ideas (she's a huge Benny/Ethan fan (if your into that thing) and I'm not). Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to drop a review!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Circus

"Just once," hissed Erica angrily as she opened her locker. "Just once can't we have something cool happen in Whitechapel without monsters being involved?"

Though she would never admit it, the possibility of going to a circus had actually put her on cloud nine or maybe it was the idea of doing something with her friends? She had desperately wanted to watch the performance in the auditorium, but after hearing Ethan's account of the faceless creatures she had no desire to sit there and risk losing her temper. Annoyed and disappointed she shifted the items around her locker with no real purpose. After a few moments she let out a pent up breath.

Was it really too much to ask for a normal weekend?

Sensing another presence she turned around only to jump backwards in surprise. Two teenagers wearing fox masks and clad entirely in black were staring at her their heads leaning to the side. Erica gave them a scowl and slammed her locker shut.

"What you do want?" They titled their heads in unison; it was as though they were trying to understand her. No… that wasn't it… they were examining her. Feeling unnerved she asked: "What?"

The two figures shared a look before cartwheeling backwards, a moment later Erica felt her arms yanked forwards. She looked down and found her wrists bound by two dark black streamers.

"Let me go!" Screamed Erica as she used the entirety of her strength to pull on them. The masked figures held there ground and began to tug harder. "Let me go!"

At the end of the hallway the lights began to flicker and buzz. A tall-silhouetted figure appeared and slowly began to lumber towards them. Struggling against her assailants Erica tried to scream and found that not only could she not make a sound, but the world around her had been bathed in an unnatural silence. As the creature neared she felt anger well up inside her, who were these people and what did they want? When she got her hands on them she was going to make them pay.

The anger quickly turned to despair as little by little she made out the tall figures' features. It was just as Ethan had described: a black ringmaster's uniform, a top hat, and no face.

"_You should consider yourself fortunate. There is only one way to cleanse one who has been cursed."_

It raised a single bony finger and placed its dark purple nail against her forehead. The world went out of focus at the touch and despite the pain Erica attempted one last time to free herself. It only took a moment for her realize the futility of the situation, and feeling weak she slumped forward. The last thing she saw was the creature as it slowly bent over her.

* * *

"No one's seen Rory since the performance," said Ethan as he joined Benny and Sarah at the front of the school. "I checked both his locker and his sixth period class and no luck. Did you guys find anything?"

"No," said Benny as he crossed his arm. "But I was researching the dance, movements, and positions of the performers and I came up with this." He held up a paper with a pentagram shape. "I knew the dance seemed familiar and then it hit me, I'd seen it before. It was almost the same one Stephanie used when she was on the cheer squad."

"Then you can figure out what happened?" asked Sarah as she looked from Ethan to Benny. "That's great."

"Kind of. It was a teleportation spell, and a powerful one. The real question is why they took him, and where."

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Ethan. When they gave him a confused look he pointed to the tents in the distance. "Think about it, the masked woman, the mysterious performance, and to pick Rory out of all the people in the auditorium? There's no way it can be a coincidence."

"I thought they said they wanted to get rid of the people who dreamt of a cure," mumbled Sarah as she shivered in the afternoon sun. "Why would they choose Rory?"

"Maybe they meant the ones who needed the cure, not the ones trying to create it." Ethan watched as Benny and Sarah shared an uncomfortable glance. "Come on, I think I know a way we can find out where Rory is."

* * *

Ethan ran up the stairs to his room with both friends in tow. He tossed his backpack onto the bed and took a seat at his desk. Pulling up new window he began to type furiously. Behind him Sarah watched the screen with fascination while Benny squatted next to his nightstand examining the various trinkets.

"E?" asked Benny as he pointed to the small box filled with various stones. "What kind of rocks are these?"

"Moon rocks," answered Ethan as he continued to type away. "Ok, let me just open the program."

"How exactly is this going to help us find Rory?" asked Sarah as she watch him type in various numbers, letters and symbols.

"I installed a a prototype tracking app on his cellphone after he lost it last week. Since he had it with him when he went on stage-"

"We can find out where they sent him!" said Sarah with a smile as she leaned forward. "Ethan that's genius."

"E?"

"It'll take a few moments for the details to appear," said Ethan as a map of Whitechapel suddenly pooped up. "But when it does should have our answer."

"E you need to see this," said Benny suddenly as he backed away from the nightstand. Both Ethan and Sarah turned in enough time to watch the clear rocks turn completely black.

_Tell them. Tell them. Tell them._

Ethan jumped to his feet looking for the source of the whispers. He watched as Sarah bared her fangs and Benny pulled out his spell book. He grabbed the dagger off his desk and held it up, whatever was happening they were going to be ready. All around them shadows began to distort as they stretched towards the center of the room. Unnaturally they lifted off the ground and began to converge in the air above Ethan's bed.

_Tell them. Tell them. Tell them._

"What is that?" asked Sarah unable to take her eyes off the strange phenomenon. "Shadows can't move like that."

"It's dark magic," mumbled Benny as he took a step back. "It's pure concentrated darkness, don't touch it."

_Tell them. Tell them. Tell them._

"Tell us what?" Demanded Ethan as he took a step towards it his dagger raised. "What do you want?"

In response the darkness took the shape of Eris, her face missing, and one hand extended in the trio's directions. Her voice echoed throughout the room.

"_We have your friends."_

Eris' figured vanished as the shadows took on a new shape. The inside of a tent, two large spheres, Erica and Rory trapped inside pounding against their prisons crying out in silent voices. All around them standing tall and still were the faceless creatures clad in the same ringmaster outfit.

"_You will attend opening night, and if you don't then they will die. Do not defy the Ringmasters."_

The shadows vanished, leaving no trace of the mysterious images they had just witnessed. Ethan turned to his friends. "They need our help."

"When's the opening night?" asked Sarah as she continued to stare at the empty space above Ethan's' bed.

"Tonight at sunset," answered Benny as he bent down to examined the now black moon rocks. "This isn't possible."

"That our friends haven been take hostage by an insane woman whose named herself after the goddess of Discord and Chaos?" asked Ethan sarcastically. "Because I'm pretty sure we all just saw that."

"Not just that but this," said Benny as he pointed to the rocks. "Don't touch them."

"Why?"

"Moon rocks are used to absorb spells, they're like a sponge. If anyone casts a spell the rocks will start to absorb the remnants, the more natural the magic the lighter it gets."

"And the darker?" asked Sarah as she bent down to get a better view. "Does that mean black magic?"

Benny nodded. "This is some serious black magic, like Stern level serious. And they have Eric and Rory…."

"If this person really is as dangerous as Stern," began Sarah. "Then we can't leave them there until the circus opens tonight, we need to get them now."

"We don't have a choice," said Ethan suddenly. "This person is strong enough to teleport Rory in front of the entire school while still making it look like a dance, and not only that they kidnapped Erica and knew where to find us. We're not dealing with just another supernatural thing here, we're dealing with something on a whole new level."

"So what do we do?"

"Go home."

"What?" Asked Benny and Sarah in unison.

"Go home and get whatever you need to fight- stakes, spells, potions, anything," said Ethan as he picked up his knife. He turned to the computer and watched as the small green dot flashed in the open field. "Because once Everlasting Circus opens its gates we're getting our friends back.

"E's right," said Benny as he stretched out his sleeve and picked up one of the black stones. "We need to be ready for anything tonight. I'm taking this for Grandma, it might take a few days but I'm sure she could probably create some serious counter magic with it."

Sarah looked at Ethan uncertainly. He nodded and motioned towards the clock. "We'll meet in four hours front of Everlasting Circus."

* * *

_Eris smiled as the large orb floated in the center of the tent; around it several small ones orbited giving her views inside each and everyone of her attractions. She smiled when she saw the ice garden and it's two new recent additions. __Another sphere appeared showing her the crowd of people waiting eagerly to step inside her circus. She smiled as she saw three familiar faces waiting at the front, in just a few minutes they would be within her grasp._

"Ok," said Ethan nervously as he looked at his friends. Sarah had changed into what looked like easier to fight in clothing, and Benny was wearing his satchel. "Whatever we do, don't get separated. We need to stick together. What did you bring?"

"Just a stake," said Sarah as he fangs appeared. "That's all I need."

"A bunch of potions my Grandma made," said Benny as he jiggled the satchel. "She's examining the rock I gave her, she thinks she might be able to create counter spells based on the small amount of magic they left behind. But it will take at least a few days."

"Ok and I have my knife, some holy water, and a stake" said Ethan uncertain if that would be enough to take on the mysteries that awaited them. "You all installed the tracking app right?"

They nodded. "Ok, according to the app Rory and Erica should be in one of the tents near the back. Remember we get in, we get them and we get out. Nothing else, we're playing on the enemies turf right now. Don't tell them anything if we get captured, we don't know what they want or why there even here."

"This is actually kind of intense," said Benny as he looked at the tall gate before them. "It's not even exciting, just scary."

"Yeah," whispered Sarah as she looked down at the grass. "But we can do this, right?"

Before Ethan could respond the large gate in front of them began to moan as it slowly opened. Beyond it tents and vendors could be seen. He felt his stomach tightened. He could do this; it was just a circus, just a bunch of tents, nothing to be sacred of.

"Are you ok?" asked Sarah as she took his hand in hers. "Were right here."

"We got you E," said Benny as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your not alone."

"Right," said Ethan as he took a step forward. Before passing through the gate he turned to his friends and said: "Remember stick together, get in, find Erica and Rory and get out."

"Right," said Benny as he gripped his bag tightly and followed after him. "Team Whitechapel's got this."

"There's nothing we can't do," said Sarah with a smile as she walked through the gate. "We're coming guys."

_"Let's play a game," said Eris as she watched the trio pass through the gate. She spun the large orb in front of her and leaned back. "Your in my field now."_

Ethan felt his heart beat increase as he looked over his shoulder. His friends were gone, he was alone. No line of people waiting, no vendors, no one at all.

_"Welcome to Everlasting Circus."_

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, things only get more intense from here on out! Don't forget to leave a review! I promise to update faster in the future!


	4. Mind Games

A/N: Two updates in a month? I said they'd be coming faster and here they are! Almost at the halfway point, don't forget to drop a review! And if you have a question send me a PM!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 4: Mind Games

"_Did you really expect me to let you simply allow into my domain without some form of opposition?"_

"Ethan! Sarah! Can you hear me?" yelled Benny as turned in a circle. A moment ago he was walking through the large gate, and now he was standing in an old-fashioned steam punk designed plaza. At its center rested a large silver and bronze fountain with crystal blue water. "Someone better start giving me answers!"

"_I have taken the liberty of separating the three of you, considering you were all so adamant about staying together."_

"Where are my friends?" Demanded Ethan as he held up his dagger and slowly walked down the vacant midway. The empty booths and carts left a sour feeling in his stomach. "What did you do to them?"

"_You have been flung into three separate dimensions, all ruled by me. Seek a way out if you can."_

"Damn," panted Sarah as she ran from the shadows that pursued her. There were to many for her to fight head on, and attempting anything at this point would be suicide. At the moment putting as much space between them and her seemed like the best course of action. "Wait until I get my hands on you Eris."

"_But heed my warning: time has no meaning here."_

* * *

Ethan listened to his footsteps echo through throughout the empty midway and sighed. No friends, no patrons, no workers, just him. He felt his hands began to shake in a strange combination of exhaustion and fear. According to his phone he had only been in the circus for a few minutes, but to his body it felt like it had been hours, maybe even more. His footsteps continued to echo, and for a brief moment he wondered if they would ever be able to escape Eris's grasp.

"Why am I even thinking that?" wondered Ethan aloud. He opened the app on his cellphone and smiled. "If this is anything like Grandma Weir's spell then allI have to do is find my friends and pull them into my own dimension."

He looked up and felt the small spark of hope vanish. The midway was filled with shadow like figures, each and everyone of them wearing a bright white mask. The second Ethan's eyes locked with them they began to mimic him. He reached for his dagger and held it up, the monsters did the same.

"No," whispered Ethan as he took a step backwards. _"No."_ "No it's not possible." _"No it's not possible." _"STOP IT!" _"STOP IT!" _

They were copying everything from his actions right down to his voice. He took another step backwards, and they did the same. Instead of putting distance between them the monsters were somehow getting closer and closer. How was that possible?

"Leave me alone!" _"Leave me alone." _"You're not real!" _"You're not real! You're just illusions!" _"You're just illusions."_  
_

Ethan felt his heartbeat increase, they were thinking ahead of him now. They were talking for him, they knew what he was going to say before he even said it, that couldn't be possible.

"_How are you talking before me?" _"How are you talking before me?" _"S-stop it! Your not real, none of this is real!" _"S-stop it! Your not real, none of this is real!"

He tried to say something else and found he no longer had a voice. No it was more than that the world no longer had any sounds, his footsteps were gone, the pants of his labored breathing were silenced. Nothing.

"_The one who relies on his friends to be his strength."_

He turned. Standing at the far end of the midway was a tall faceless ringmaster dressed entirely in black. Unlike the other he had seen this was one had a dark pale skin with long purple nails. It looked almost sickly.

_"Join us."_

The creature lumbered towards him and and from behind the shadow performers began to approach. The smell of burning sulfur shocked Ethan back into reality, he needed to escape. He turned to the left and ran as fast as he could. Behind him the performers and faceless creature pursued.

* * *

Benny wandered aimlessly around the plaza unsure of where to go, or what to do. He had tried using a magic, and nothing had happened, just a pop then fizzle. He took a seat at the fountain and pulled out his phone, maybe with the help of Ethan's app he would be able to track down the others.

"Let's see," said Benny as he spoke aloud. It echoed in the quiet of the silent circus. "According to this Ethan is up ahead and to the left... and Sarah farther up and to the right... And all the way past them is Rory."

He began to walk using his phone to navigate. "Let's see the fastest way to get to them is through..."

He looked up at the large the tent labeled: Memento Maximus. Following the same color scheme as the plaza it loomed far above him in golden and brown hues.

He shrugged, stepped in and took a moment to admire the scene before him. The entire tent was filled with millions of glass orbs resting on a mechanical claws. At the center two large bronze pillars came to life causing the claws to move around. They created a pleasant humming sound.

"_W-welcome to t-the…," _said a voice from somewhere above him. _"Where memories are a… past!"_

He walked along and watched as the small glass orbs came to life, Benny peered into the nearest one and smiled. There was one of Ethan and him playing in the backyard. One of Erica kissing him in the hallway. Grandma giving him a scolding. Even one of with his mom and dad playing with him in the backyard.

He walked up to the orb and picked it up. There they were Celeste and Danielle Weir, his parents, his family. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he did his best to blink them away. The machine began to whir again. All around the orbs were lowered to his level each one with a different memory of his mom, each one showing him how happy his family used to be. He felt content and oddly exhausted as he watched the days of his past flicker by. Then silence.

"_The boy who misses his mother's love."_

Benny turned and stumbled backwards. It was one of the faceless creatures Ethan had warned him about. It took a step towards him it's black outfit and sickly skin glowing in the sparks of the machinery. All at once the orbs changed to the day his mother died. There he was a young Benny Weir, confused and scared, watching as they lowered his mother's coffin into the ground.

"_Join us."_

The creature reached out for him and he ducked beneath the orbs and made a dash for the opposite side. The creature smashed through the glass in silence and lumbered towards him. He wrinkled his nose and a familiar burning smell and pulled out one of the bottles from his satchel.

"Eat this," thought Benny as he tossed the container over his shoulder. It shattered against the ground creating a flash of electricity. All around the machines and orbs began to spark. He darted out of the tent and looked over his shoulder, there was a flash of light before the whole thing came crashing down.

He checked his cellphone and ran. His needed to find his friends.

* * *

Sarah found herself both thankful and unnerved as she wandered endlessly through the hall of mirrors. She had managed to escape the shadows chasing after her, and now she faced a new problem: herself. Resisting the urge to sit down and rest she pushed on.

"I shouldn't have one," mumbled Sarah as she touched the nearest mirror and examined her reflection. "I can't have one."

"_Can't or shouldn't?" _She pulled her hand back as the reflection glared at her. _"Just like you can't be a vampire or shouldn't be a vampire?"_

"I-"

"_Because there's a fine line between human and vampire." _Said the reflection behind her. "_But you wouldn't know that. You don't know what you are."_

"I'm a vampire-"

"_Are you sure? Because it seems like you want to be human." _Another reflection spoke up:_ "No that's not it, you're afraid of being a vampire."_ Then another_: "Or are you afraid of becoming a monster just like those shadows?"_

"Shut up!" screamed Sarah as she drove her fist into the nearest mirror. It shattered under the blow and she looked down at her hand. She was cut, but no blood poured from her wound. "You don't know me."

"_Look, she wants to bleed. She wants to be human." "No she wants to feed on humans." "We don't know her, we ARE her."_

They stopped talking as an unearthly silence filled the hall.

"_Do not fear we shall purge the sin from your soul."_

A tall faceless creature dressed in black appeared behind each one of her reflections. It placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned wildly expecting to see it looming over her. Nothing. The mirrors were lying to her, they had to be. She pulled the stake from her pocket and drove into the closest. One by one she shattered them until nothing was left but broken shards. She turned around trying to locate the monster, and when she saw light at the far end of the tent she ran.

From the darkest part of the building the faceless creature emerged, its dark purple nail brushed against her arm as she closed her eyes and jumped for the exit. A burning smell, a sharp pain in her arm, and it's voice were the last things Sarah understood before colliding with the ground.

"_You cannot escape from what you are."_

* * *

Ethan stopped and looked up, he was now standing in front of a large white tent with a thin layer of mist emerging from the opening. But more importantly looking equally exhausted was none other than Benny, and at at his feet Sarah. Letting out a laugh he helped her up and pulled them into a hug.

"Are you guys ok?" asked Ethan as tears of happiness rolled down his cheek. "I'd never thought I'd see you again."

"I thought the same thing," whispered Sarah as she gave him a weak smile. "Physically I'm exhausted but ok. Mentally… I'm not so sure."

"This place is insane," said Benny looked around. "One minute I'm at the gate, them I'm in some strange robot place, and then memories and orbs and monsters!"

"I know," said Ethan as he finally let them go. "I was being attacked by a ringmaster dressed entirely in black, and the next thing I know I'm here."

"Same," said Benny. "I was in a tent and it just appeared out of no where, luckily I had Grandma's potions to help."

"I saw one too," mumbled Sarah. "It was in the Hall of Mirrors when it tried to grab me, I think I may be been scratched."

"What?" asked Ethan worriedly. She held up her arm and he looked at the dark purple burn, it wasn't healing like it was supposed to. "That's more than scratch."

"That's definitely not a normal burn," said Benny as he examined it. He sniffed it, opened his satchel and began to read labels aloud. "Counter potion, smoke potion, wind potion... firework... here we go!" He pulled out a small green bottle. "Hold still."

He poured a small amount of liquid onto the burn and she hissed in pain. The wound quickly healed. "That was magical injury created solely to hurt vampires."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I get it," said Ethan. "It's like the Breath of Death, it's designed to affect vampires and not normal people, like you or me."

"Thanks," said Sarah sarcastically.

Ethan flushed red. "Sorry, that's not what I meant."

"Exactly," said Benny as he crossed his arms. "Whatever these things are, they can seriously hurt vampires if they touch them."

"Who is this person?" asked Sarah suddenly. "She shows up in our town with a circus that she can change at will, an entire staff of people willing to do what she wants and a bunch of faceless things that can apparently hurt vampires just by touching them."

"Not to mention she can move people in between dimensions. She must be a powerful Spellmaster," added Ethan as he thought about his own Eris theory. "We shouldn't be worrying about this now, we need to find Rory and Erica."

"E's right," said Benny as he opened the app on his phone. "We can worry about her later, according to this they should be... right in font of us."

Together they all looked up at the white tent. They each shared a looked, silently recalled the horrors from the past hour, and interlocked hands as they entered. Everything was frozen, animals, people and plants were all made of ice. In the lighting it almost look as though they were alive, moving as the the ice glistened. The trio let go of one another to get a better view of the attraction.

"Whoa," said Benny as he reached out to touch a bird. "I don't even…. Ow!" He pulled back his hand and stuck his finger in his mouth. "Don't touch them. They burn."

"I don't believe it," whispered Sarah as she passed a woman clad in an ice gown. "It's incredible."

"Guys," said Ethan as he looked at the statue in front of them. "I found them."

Benny and Sarah were at his side in an instant. In front of him, in the exact center of the garden, trapped within two large frozen globes were Rory and Erica. Both of them were looking up and reaching out with their hands, fear clearly written on their faces. Underneath the stature the plaque was labeled: "Humanity Lost'.

"Oh my..." whispered Sarah as she covered her mouth. "Are they?"

"When I get my hands on whoever did this," growled Benny as he clenched his fists. "They're gonna pay."

"Do you like it?" asked Eris in a clam and collected voice as she emerged from behind the statue. Unlike there previous encounters she was dressed in a bright white cloak, her face masked, and in her arms a large golden staff with a large orb surrounded by several smaller ones. "Is it not divine?"

Three faceless creatures dressed in black, and looking sickly appeared behind Eris. From the front of the tent several more more clad in a red and white ringmaster's uniform appeared. They were surrounded.


	5. Eris T Weelec

A/N: I don't want to keep you from this rather important chapter! I hope the reveals and twists will shock you (but at the same time they're kinda obvious!) Don't forget to drop a review! Enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter Five: Eris T. Weelec

Eris walked past them both her mask and staff glistening with condensation. She picked up a frozen flower and admired it for a moment. Ethan locked eyes with her, felt his heart beat increase and clenched his fists in anger. This was the woman from the other night. The one that knew him, the one that had not only kidnapped his friends but spent the last hour or so playing some sick and twisted game. The one who... his anger changed into something else... He closed his eyes and remembered a kind smile, soft hands, the warm voice of a person long forgotten.

"Is this the part when you tell us all about your plans?" asked Ethan as he looked around and tried to keep his wits about him. Three faceless creatures clad in black, and at least seven of the other kind. "Why did you want us to come here?"

"Everything will be revealed in due time," said Eris as she tossed the flower to the ground. She watched it shatter before approaching the two frozen vampires. "For now I just wanted you to experience the circus, to see why I have been in business for so long. To see what I am capable of, and to truly just enjoy it."

"What did you do to our friends?" demanded Sarah as she watched Eris run a gloved hand over the sphere. "Why did you freeze them? What did they ever do to you?"

"What do you think of everything my home has to offer? Is it not fantastic? From my room I can manipulate every aspect of this place. I can make it bigger than it really is, I can change the location of any attraction with a flick of my finger. Not only that I can warp time around to my own will. There is a reason this place is called Eris T. Weelec's Everlasting Circus."

Ethan felt himself flinch. _Eris **T.** Weelec_.

"You have some serious issues lady," said Benny as he tightened his grip on the satchel. "I don't know who you are, but you need help."

"Do not worry, they are very much alive, or as alive as one of them can be. I have put them in a dry ice spell that quite literally freezes right down to the bone. One false move or wrong motion and they _will_ shatter."

"You-"

"While I have your attention I wish to explain the reasons for which I was brought you here," said Eris as she turned to face them. "Ethan Morgan, Bennet Weir, join me."

"What?" Ethan felt his eye lids getting heavy, he needed to focus. He missed something, something important.

"Join my cause. Help me and together we can eliminate the curse that has plagued this world for far too long. Look at your friend, deep down she regrets what she is. Deep down I know more than anything she wishes she was human." She turned to the globes. "The same as them. Together we can eliminate the curse permanently, and no one will ever have to suffer the way they do."

"You're worse than any monster we've fought before," hissed Sarah as her fangs appeared. "And trust me that's saying something."

"You do not understand because you have not had to watch others suffer for your mistakes as I have. You are a supernatural virus that must be purged from this world in order for Spellmasters to finally make amends for what they have done."

"What are you talking about?" asked Benny as he glared at the blank white mask.

"I do not wish to make enemies of you," said Eris as she raised her staff. Three clear orbs appeared in front of them. "As a show of good faith I will allow you to leave with your friends, and I promise that my guards will not attempt to harm you. I only ask that you allow me to seal everything that you have seen tonight."

"What?" Asked the three of them in unison.

"I cannot have my enemies learning of my secrets and plans." She motioned to the orbs. "Simply place your hands on the spheres and it will be done. You will remember everything that has happened here, but you will be unable to speak of it."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Benny as he yawned and struggled to focus. "You kidnapped our friends and then had your faceless monsters attack us."

"I understand you have no reason to believe in me or my crusade, and I must apologize for the means in which I have brought you here."

"You almost killed us," said Sarah tiredly. "We could've died."

"Again I am sorry. We had to lure you here under the guise of malicious intent, and because we did we were forced to be weary and on guard as we did not know your true intentions."

Benny and Sarah exchanged wary glances, then both looked at Ethan who appeared lost in thought.

"I had hoped you would joined me, but seeing as you do not fully comprehend the enormity and importance of the situation at hand..." The floating orbs turned black. "If you are not with me then by default you must be against me. I ask you to please listen, I do wish this to become violent. You must trust me, the world is going to change this Friday, and I need you at my side. I swear to you that I, Eris T. Weelec, am a woman of her word."

Ethan eyes widened as it clicked. _**"Long time no see Ethan." "Yup, that's the mask they gave my mom when she graduated." "This person is strong enough to teleport Rory in front of the entire school while still making it look like a dance." "That was also the year my mom died." "She must be a powerful Spellmaster." 'Dated almost nine years ago.' "Ethan, Bennet, join me." Eris **_T._ **Weelec.**_

"Then why don't you show us your face," said Ethan suddenly as he looked at her. "Or tell us your real name?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sarah as she watched the faceless creatures suddenly turned to Eris. "What's-"

"Earlier I said it didn't matter who you are," began Ethan as he pulled out his dagger. "But I was wrong. I think now is the perfect time to know who's really under that mask!"

"E have you lost your mind?" asked Benny. "We need-"

"Or do you want me to tell them?"

"Someone paid attention," said Eris her calm and collected demeanor gone. She reached up for the mask. "I should have known you would have figured it out. I certainly left enough clues for you."

"Every time you say your name, you said the 'T'," mumbled Ethan as he revealed his train of thought. "But why does that matter? Is your middle name that important or is it something else? The more I thought about it the more things began to make sense. You never set foot in our school before the performance yesterday, which means only someone with intimate knowledge of Whitechapel's auditorium could script that dance and combine it with magic. You're a powerful Spellmaster, and you've obviously been to Whitechapel before, and everyone who meets Benny always assumes his name is Benjamin, only his family knows his real name is Bennet. Eris T. Weelec doesn't exist, but if you shuffle the letters-"

The mask fell to the ground and shattered. Curly brown hair fell forward, and her bright green eyes locked with Ethan's brown. At that instant he hated himself for being right. Benny gasped and Sarah looked at them confused.

"Celeste Weir does," finished Ethan as pointed the dagger at her. The faceless creatures began to close in while the one clad in black stayed in place.

"M-mom?" asked Benny as he looked from Ethan to Celeste. "You're dead…. You died…."

"No way…." Whispered Sarah as she dropped the stake she was holding.

"Duck," whispered Ethan as he reached into Benny's satchel and pulled out several bottles. "Now!"

He tossed one at Celeste and the other at the faceless monsters behind them. There was an explosion sending the opposition in separate directions. Ethan grabbed both Sarah and Benny's hands as smoke filled the tent.

"Mom!" screamed Benny before Ethan tugged him backwards. "What are you doing?"

"We need to free Erica and Rory!" yelled Ethan as he reached into the satchel again. This time he removed the counter potion and uncorked it. "Get ready to carry them."

"We don't know if that will even work," said Sarah with fear in her eyes. "What if-"

"Magic is magic," responded Benny as he pointed to the ice. "Do it!"

Ethan tossed the contents onto the globes and felt his heart sink when they began to crack. Then little by little the ice turned to water, both Erica and Rory collapsed onto the ground unconscious but alive. Benny tossed Ethan the satchel and picked up Erica bridal style. Ethan got Rory's arm around his shoulder and motioned for Sarah to get his other side.

"We need to get to the gate," said Ethan as he navigated through the smoke and into the open air of the circus. He pulled out another bottle and tossed it into the tent where it exploded into red mist. "This way!"

"What were you thinking?" yelled Sarah as they continued to run with Rory between them. "At any moment she could send us into different dimensions again!"

"She can't, she can only control the circus from her office. And after being hit by that blast I don't think she'll be getting there any time soon."

"I can't believe it," whispered Benny as he looked at his friends. "I don't even recognize her, it's like she's not even the same person anymore…."

"Right now she's not your mom," said Ethan as he reached for another potion. "She has to be possessed or something. Once we get out of here we'll find out what happened I promise."

"Ethan," said Sarah through her labored breathing. "I don't... I can't... can't... keep going."

"I feel..." mumbled Benny as he began to slow down. "I-I don't know if I..." He stumbled forwards nearly dropping Erica.

"We're almost there," said Ethan despite the pain in his muscles. In the distance several masked performers and faceless monsters could be seen. "Look you can see the entrance. We're almost there."

"I feel tired..."

"Damn it," thought Ethan as he reached into the satchel, he needed one last distraction. He pulled out the final bottle and then looked at his friends. "I'm going to throw the wind potion, any second now noise is-"

His voice along with any form of sound was gone. The performers stopped and the faceless ringmasters stepped forward. Ethan smiled and summoning the last of his strength threw the bottle. The moment it shattered against the ground wind exploded in every direction. He felt himself lifted off his feet and thrown towards the exit, he struggled to keep his hold on Rory and felt the vampire's hand slip from his grasp. Somewhere in the silent gale storm his friends were being tossed around like rag dolls.

He collided with the ground and smiled at the thud he had created. He looked up wearily, his friends lying on the grass around him, and behind the them circus's gates were closed. They had escaped. The last thing Ethan saw before fainting was Evelyn Weir running in his direction.

* * *

Celeste stood up and brushed the debris off her coat. She watched as the three black mannequins approached her. It would be only a matter of minutes before they were completely rotted away.

_"You have allowed them to escape with intimate knowledge of your operations."_

_"You failed to gather the necessary magic for the ritual."_

_"Furthermore you gave them knowledge that could be our own undoing."_

"No," said Celeste as she revealed the glowing moon rock in her hand. "I got exactly what I needed, this is more than enough of Evelyn's magic. With it we're one step closer to our ultimate goal."

_"It took three generations of Spellmaster magic to complete the ritual."_

_"It will take three generations to undo the binds."_

_"Will everything be ready by the promised day?"_

"We only need one final sample," said Celeste as she waved her hands. Images of Benny filled the tent. "And it'll be the easiest to acquire."

_"Do not fail."_

"I will do in one night what your so called apprentice failed to do in years." On cue the three black mannequins rotted away. She smiled and held the rock up high, the Ringmasters would return.

* * *

Plot twist? Maybe... maybe not! I'll see you in a week!


	6. What's Really Happening in Whitechapel?

A/N: We've almost reached the halfway point. I promise the upcoming chapters will explain what's going on, bring on some serious action, and set things up for the epic finale! (Which I hope most of you will stick around for).

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 6: What's Really Happening in Whitechapel?

Ethan wearily opened his eyes and shot up when he was realized he was now laying on a sofa. It only took him a moment to recognize the interior of the Weir household, and recall how Evelyn had come running out to help them following their escape. He let out a pent up breath and lay back down. His entire body felt like one large ache, not to mention the strange heaviness in his mouth. He closed his eyes, and just when sleep threatened to overtake him he heard footsteps. He peeked his eye opened and smiled.

"Good to see you're awake," said Evelyn as she approached the sofa with a mug in hand. "Here drink this it'll help you get some of your strength and energy back."

"What happened?" asked Ethan as he sat up, took the cup, and gratefully took a sip. "I remember escaping the circus, seeing you and then nothing."

"I'll tell in you a moment," she looked down at her watch. "Erica, Rory and Sarah should be arriving any minute now and Benny will be waking up within the hour."

Ethan finished the the mysterious liquid and struggled to say upright. His eye lids fluttered closed. In the darkness of his own mind he enjoyed the sounds of cars in the distance and people going about their daily lives. No carnival music, and no eerie silence, just peace. He snapped back to reality when someone gently shook his shoulder. Ethan yawned as he noted Benny had taken a seat on the sofa next to him.

"Glad to see your ok E," mumbled Benny listlessly. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I woke up earlier."

"You guys are awake!" yelled Sarah as she ran into the room followed by both Erica and Rory. She gave them both boys hugs. "You've been out since yesterday."

"What?" Asked Ethan as he looked around. "What day is it?"

"It's Monday," said Erica as she sat on the arm of a chair. "You rescued us Sunday day, and you've been asleep for almost twenty-four hours."

"We were in the circus for two days?" asked Benny in disbelief. "But we were only there for a few hours tops."

"Celeste warned us," said Sarah as she looked down at her hands. "She told us time had no meaning remember?"

"That's why we must've been so tired," said Ethan as he thought about the mysterious exhaustion that had overcome them. He looked at Sarah. "You were there just as long as we were how come you're not out cold?"

"Vampire strength," said the brunette with a smile. "I bounced back pretty quick."

"Thanks," said Erica suddenly as she looked everywhere but directly at Ethan and Benny. "For you know… rescuing us."

"That's the apology we get?" asked Benny as he looked at her. "Just so you know we risked our lives to save you!"

"Well what do you want me to do? Bow down and say all hail lord Benny my hero?"

"Thanks for saving us," said Rory with his signature goofy smile. "Talk about major brain freeze, I was worried we'd be stuck like that forever."

"Good you're all here," said Evelyn as she walked into the room. "I trust you've been caught up to date with what day it is and everything?"

"What about school?" Asked Ethan before another thought occurred to him. "Weren't my parents worried about me?"

"For the first couple nights I told them you were staying here, and today I sent illusions of you boys to school."

"You should teach me that spell sometime," said Benny with a smirk. "I could definitely use it."

"Let's talk about your adventure into the circus instead."

Ethan nodded and recapped his events while Benny and Sarah relayed their own tales. They shared looks of concern when the mysterious black ringmasters appeared in each of their stories.

"I see," said Evelyn as she leaned back in the chair. "This is some serious black magic. I've never heard of a creature with the ability to remove sound, and to physically hurt vampires. Are you sure?"

"All true," said Erica suddenly as she recalled the attack in school. "They looked rotten almost, and the one that came after me could also make the lights flicker."

"And you said it was Celeste?"

"It was mom," said Benny as he looked down. "Did you know she was alive?"

"I can't talk about her."

"What do you mean you can't talk about her?" asked Benny as he jumped up. "We need to know everything about her! She knew all about us and-"

"Its not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I can't," she opened her mouth and pointed to a strange black mark on her tongue. "See this symbol." They all leaned forward and nodded. "This is a seal, I physically cannot talk about what may have happened with your mother or anything relating to it."

"You can't tell us anything?" asked Ethan in disbelief. "Can you least point us in the right direction?"

"I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore than that."

"You said you were researching the circus and Ringmasters right?" Asked Erica as she turned to Ethan. "Did you find anything?"

"No," responded Ethan. "I couldn't find any mention of these 'Ringmasters' or faceless creatures. I think we may need to head farther back than the internet can get us. The way Celeste was talking made it seem like she knew about the beginnings of vampirism or at least the beginning of Whitechapel. Do you think the council might know something?"

"Doubt it," said Sarah as she crossed her arms. "And if they did there's no way they'd shared with a 'traitor to their own kind' like me. We could try the old underground Whitechapel Library. If you're looking for information on old supernatural creatures then that's our best bet."

"Oh that reminds me," said Rory as he pulled a couple of folded papers out of his pocket. "I went on a re-croissant mission and took a bunch of pictures of the circus from above."

"Wait a minute," mumbled Benny ignoring Rory's butchering of the word reconnaissance. He took a photo and motioned for his Grandma to look at it. "Doesn't it look familiar?"

"You can't get to close to the circus anymore," said Erica to Sarah. "Well vampires can't at least. Rory and I tried and we ended up feeling weak before we even got near it."

"Sounds like our escape worried her," said Ethan with a smile as he rubbed his face. "Anything else you've seen or noticed while we were out?"

"No," said Sarah. "We asked around and everyone who went in had a great time, no one saw anything strange. They all saw the same things we did, the ice garden, the steampunk plaza, and the midway. We're the only ones who saw the faceless monsters."

"They're also hanging up a bunch of posters and according to Della they're giving out these cool ticket stubs to everyone who leaves," said Rory as he removed another piece of paper from his pocket. It was a poster of a white mask resting in front of black ribbon as it fell in the background. Underneath it written in red was: **Everlasting Circus Finale- Friday**. He held up a small red ticket with the same ribbon design. "There are like thousands of these things now."

Benny took the poster and ticket before suddenly ripping it in half. Rory, Sarah and Erica all recoiled in shock while Ethan leaned forward. "What was that for?"

"Don't ever bring these into the house, look," Benny lay down the photo of the circus, now marked with red pen and then laid the damaged poster next to it. "See the way the tents are set up? It's like the dance, the positioning creates a magical seal which powers a barrier and gives the creator control of the area within."

"This particular shape and form prevents any other magical spell from entering or being used within," offered Evelyn. "It's actually a rather basic formation."

"I don't understand," said Ethan confused. "We were able to use your potions to escape."

"Potions and spells are different," said Rory as he rolled his eyes. "Duh."

"Rory's actually right," said Benny. "I don't think mom-I mean Celeste has the complete control of her circus that she led us to believe."

"Ok so let's say you find a counter spell that can stop all of Celeste's illusions," said Erica as she pondered aloud. "Could you cast it from here and have it work? Or would you need to be inside the barrier?"

Benny looked at her. "Good question." He turned to Evelyn. "Grandma?"

"The barrier poses a problem," said Evelyn. "Not only will it prevent vampires from getting anywhere near the actual circus, but it will also stop any magical assault you may attempt from the inside or out."

"Can we bring it down?" asked Ethan.

"Maybe," whispered Benny as he looked down at the photo. "But I'm guessing we'd have to go back into the circus, and not only that but it would take a large amount of energy to actually destroy the barrier."

"That's correct, and it also reminds me," said Evelyn as she pulled two rings from her pocket. "I made these from the magic inside the moon stone Benny brought me. If you need to get into the circus these will protect you from Celeste's magic. Unfortunately vampires can't wear it because they lack the life-force the ring needs to function."

"What about the poster and Della's ticket?" asked Rory as he crossed his arms.

"It's the same thing," offered Benny as he pointed to the ribbon design on the ticket and poster and then back to the photo. "The ribbons on these have same formation as the circus tents which means these all have some kind of magical purpose. But see how I ripped it?" They nodded. "That messes up the ribbon and renders the symbol useless. What's scary is these things could be for spying or locating tracking or who knows what else."

"If she's putting them all over the city then she must need them for something," said Sarah worriedly. "We need to get rid of them."

"No," said Ethan suddenly as he looked at all his friends in turn. "This could be one of our chances to beat her at her own game. This entire time she's been one step ahead of us, but maybe we can use this to our advantage. We need to head to the old Whitechapel Library and see if we can find any information on the faceless ringmasters and how to beat them."

"And to see if there's something unique about the rotting ones and the regular ones," offered Sarah. "They're was only three of the black rotting ones and a bunch of the others."

"Right, we also need to find a way to counter the barrier around the circus and what these posters and tickets are for. And then to top it off we need to find out why Celeste is commanding these monsters, why she faked her death and why she started a circus. Oh and we have to figure it all out before Friday because that's when the world is supposed to change and the finale is scheduled."

"Wow," asked Erica sarcastically. "Is that it?."

"Ok here's the plan," said Ethan as he stood up. "Benny will work on finding a way to counter the barrier and to see if he can find any information on these posters and tickets. Sarah, Rory, Erica and I will head to the underground library and see if we can find something about these monsters."

"I can't," said Erica as she stood up and gave them a pity smile. "I got detention all week for texting in gym class. I actually need to head over to the gym and help set up for the dance on Friday."

"I can't either," said Rory as he stood up as well. "I promised Hannah and Della I'd help too."

"Ethan did you forget?" asked Sarah. "It's Monday, your parents always go bowling and I always come over to babysit."

"Oh yeah," mumbled Ethan as he yawned and leaned back on the sofa. "In that case we can rest tonight and hit the library tomorrow."

* * *

Jesse stood atop the highest hill in Whitechapel and looked down at his city below. The mass of lights that made the entirety of the circus looked almost like a stain against the rest of Whitechapel. After everything he'd done that abomination of magic and tricks had beaten him here. If Celeste had chosen to return home after all these years that could only mean one thing: she must have reached her endgame. He frowned and then smiled as he turned to face the brown haired, blue eyed boy behind him.

Celeste may have been close to getting what she wanted, but he had her trump card: Project Halcyon. Jesse motioned for the boy to follow him as he walked towards the city. There was work to be done, especially if things were about to come to a head.

* * *

Ethan typed away on his computer trying to find any source of information on Celeste Weir, the faceless Ringmasters, the history of vampires or Everlasting circus. When the same information as the other night turned up he let out a frustrated growl and crossed his arm in defeat. He heard the door open and turned to face Sarah as she walked in.

"Jane's watching Dusk right now, and there's pizza," said Sarah with as she crossed her arms and leaned against his desk. "Any luck finding anything?"

"No, it's like they don't even exist," responded Ethan as he turned back to the computer screen. "Once we get to the library tomorrow I'm sure we'll find something. I just hate the idea of waiting, they know all about us and we don't know anything about them."

"Do you think we stand a chance against her?"

"She's powerful."

"We've fought powerful people before."

"Then we got this," said Ethan as he gave her a smile. "What I don't get is what happened nine years ago that could've caused Celeste to fake her death. The sooner we get to the old abandoned library the better."

"And if we don't find anything?"

"Then we'll head to the next source of information: the Vampire Council." From downstairs came the sound of something heavy knocking against the door. Ethan gave Sarah a funny look as he got up and headed for the stairs. "Did you invite someone?"

"No," responded Sarah as she followed him into the hall. "Did you invite Benny?"

"Benny never knocks."

The knocking continued, and the two shared a look as they reached the top of the stairs. Down below Jane appeared from the living room and gave them a 'what are you doing' motion before she approached the door.

"Then who?" The knocking stopped.

"Get away from the door," said Ethan suddenly. Jane looked up at him and began to slowly back away. Before he could explain himself the front door exploded inwards. A tall faceless ringmaster dressed in black entered while two performers wearing white masks cartwheeled in. "Jane run!"

She darted into the living room while the two masked figures followed. The faceless creature turned to Ethan and Sarah and started up the stairs.

"_We've come to purge the city of its sins."_

* * *

A/N: What did you think? I can tell you right now Project Halcyon (aka the boy) is important. If you guess why and are right then I'll be damn well impressed (I'll even give you a reward). The next three chapters will shed light on the entire story promise and we're just about at the halfway point! See you next time!


	7. Unwelcome Guests

A/N: Yes this a long chapter. Yes it marks the halfway point of the story. Yes it introduces a new character. And yes this new character might have something to do with my other story (though you don't have to read it to understand as the events that happen in here are isolated and by the end things will make sense. I promise). Oh and I know early review I couldn't keep you waiting! For now enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 7: Unwelcome Guests

Ethan ran down the hallway with Sarah in tow her fangs bared and ready for action. As the tall creature followed the lights began to flicker. Ethan turned into his room and with help from the brunette slammed the door shut. They backed away as the creature began to beat against it.

"What do we do?" asked Ethan as he felt his heart pound in his chest. "We can't fight this thing head on and we have to get to Jane."

"I'll distract it," said Sarah as she wrinkled her nose. The smell of burning rocks and rotten eggs filled the room. "Try and get past!"

He nodded. The door burst open and the creature ducked underneath the doorway before rising to its full height.

"N-" began Ethan before his voice suddenly cut out. He tried to speak and looked around wildly, how could he forget about the sound? He waved to Sarah in the flickering lights and saw the same look of fear in her eyes. The moment she turned to face him the monster reached out with one of its long pale and rotted hands. Reacting on instinct Ethan grabbed the box of moon rocks from his nightstand and chucked it at the beast.

It hit the monster square in the chest before breaking apart and scattering the rocks across the floor. The ringmaster shuddered for a moment before collapsing to the floor with a loud resounding crash.

"Come on!" yelled Ethan as he grabbed Sarah's hand and led her into the hallway. Whatever had happened had brought back not only the sound but given them a chance to escape. He took one last look over his shoulder, saw the faceless thing trying to stand, and slammed the door shut. "We have to get Jane."

Ethan descended the stairs, reached the kitchen before Sarah and to his horror saw the two masked figures closing in on his sister. In one fluid motion he grabbed a pan resting on the counter and swung with all his might.

"Get away from her!" screamed Ethan as the metal collided against the white mask. It exploded underneath the force and the creature stumbled sideways before vanishing. A black streamer wrapped around his hand and a second later the other performer was launching through the air and straight at him.

Sarah rushed forward and drove her shoulder into the monster. It crashed against the wall, and before it could get it up she kicked it as hard as she could. The mask shattered and the monster faded into the ground.

"We have to get out of here," said Ethan as he grabbed his sister by the hand and led her towards the backyard. Before he could reach the door it was ripped off its hinges and into the darkness. Three more performers entered the house with black streamers hanging from their hands.

"This way!" yelled Sarah as she turned to towards the front door. Before they could move the lights above began to flicker and the tall ringmaster appeared at the base of the stairs. The sound disappeared and Ethan found himself back to back with Sarah and Jane. On one side the masked performers, and on the other the ringmaster.

* * *

Benny wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood trying to figure out the puzzle of both the circus and his mother. It was obvious she was alive but how? Was she really the same woman who had brought him hot chocolate when he had nightmares. The one that would tell him stories of heroes and good conquering all? Instead of dwelling on these thoughts he chose to think about the circus's set up, and the symbols on both the posters and tickets. If they could find a way to somehow counter the symbol then maybe just maybe they could stop her. But how?

He looked up and noticed the front door of the Morgan household swinging on its hinges. He ran forward and saw the tall shape of the black ringmaster looming over his friends. He pulled the spell book from his jacket pocket and uttered the first spell he came across. To his surprise a fireball zoomed through the air and directly at the beast. Benny's moment of triumph turned to fear as the creature turned around and caught the fire in hand.

* * *

The moment the monster turned sound and light returned to the Morgan house. Ethan grabbed Jane and pushed her into the basement before closing the door. As he did Sarah drove her fist into the mask of the nearest performer, it vanished. Before she could move again black streamers bound both her wrists and legs together.

"Sarah!" cried Ethan as he threw the entirety of his weight against the next masked performers. The bindings on the vampire's wrists loosened, she smiled and pulled with all her might on the streamers around her legs. The last of the masked monsters flew towards her only to be knocked backwards as she shattered the mask. There was a flash of fire and she turned in enough time to see the tall ringmaster collapse to the ground.

* * *

Benny watched, as the creature seemed to absorb the fireball and felt his heart sink. Behind it he caught a glimpse of his friends as they continued to fight. He casted the spell in rapid succession, one at the ringmaster's chest, one at the floor, and one once more at the creature's chest. It caught the first fireball and attempted to catch the second.

"Sucker," whispered Benny as the third fireball connected with the one already in its hand. It exploded and the tall creature stumbled to the ground. The Spellmaster ran forward and called out to his friends. "Ethan? Sarah? Are you ok?"

"We're ok," responded Ethan as he stood up. "Sarah behind you!"

"Huh?" Sarah turned in time to see the ringmaster raise a long pale arm into the air. Before it could strike a black streamer wrapped around the hand. Ethan watched as one of the performers pulled back the dark cloth with a glittering object hidden within. It back flipped into the night and vanished. The black ringmaster rotted away before their eyes leaving no trace behind. Ethan opened the basement door and pulled his sister into a hug.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine," said Jane as she pulled away from her brother. She examined the damage to their house. "Mom and Dad are going to kill you."

"What happened?" asked Benny as he walked through the front door. He noted the destruction and added: "Whoa."

"They caught us by surprise," said Sarah as he fangs retracted. "I guess Celeste is a little more angry than we thought."

"The masked performer took something," said Ethan as he stared out at the backyard door. "I don't think the ringmaster was trying to attack you, I think it was trying to get whatever was in its hand back to the circus."

"Did you see that!" yelled Benny suddenly as he jumped up and down. "I was able to create a fireball and I did it four times!"

"I'm so fired," said Sarah miserably as she looked at the missing doors and damaged walls.

"Maybe we can fix them before they get home," offered Ethan. He touched the bent hinges and bit his lip. "Or maybe not."

"Chill guys," said Benny as he pointed his fingers at the doorways. "I got this." He snapped, and in a flash the doors were back and the damage gone. "I've been practicing the repair spell for months in case something like this happened, well actually it was more in case I decided to throw a wild house party."

"Will they come back?" asked Jane as she looked at her brother.

"No," said Ethan as he took one final look out the window and at the darkness. "They got whatever they needed."

* * *

Celeste sat in her chair and stared down at the crystal chessboard in front of her. Her pieces, the clear black ones, moved on their own slowly overtaking the motionless white. She looked up at the floating orbs and smiled at the sight of various people enjoying her circus. Behind her stood two of the three black mannequins, and as usual they were slowly rotting away. A flash of grey light and the third mannequin joined the duo.

"Did you accomplish what I, according do you, failed to earlier?" asked Celeste without turning to face it.

"_The moonstone containing the necessary magic is on its way as we speak."_

"Excellent," said the brunette as another chess piece moved. "I trust they gave you no problems."

It was the middle one that spoke instead.

"_The promised day is almost upon us, will everything be ready?"_

"Indeed. We have already collected more than enough human emotions to generate the army. Not only that but I have taken steps to ensure we cannot be beaten."

_"And the loss of Project Halcyon?"_

"Project Halcyon was a precaution and one that turned out to be unnecessary. We have already taken everything we need from it... let the vampire boy think he has us beaten."

_"Can it be used against us?"_

"No," responded Celeste without a second thought. "It cannot speak therefore it is of no threat to us."

A masked performers entered the tent. It held up a glowing moon rock and she took it gratefully. The black ringmasters moved closer towards her only to melt as the bodies gave way.

"We will need more magic than this if we are going to lift the curse," said Celeste as she peered into the depths of the stone. "By the power of three linked generations of Weir you were sealed, and by the magic of four you will be freed."

* * *

Ethan waved the flashlight across the titles of the books, and bit his lip in irritation. Nothing on the history of Whitechapel, nothing on the history of vampires, and nothing on these so called Ringmasters or masked creatures. He started down another aisle and called out to his friends.

"Any luck?"

"None," said Sarah as she went from book to book. She noticed a few of the gaps and added: "It looks like someone went through here and removed some of them."

"I found one on spells," responded Benny as he walked over to Ethan. "_'Seals and Other Techniques,"_ written by Alec W. Ericson. Maybe we can use it to counter Celeste's dome, or find out what her posters and tickets are for."

"This is getting stupid," yelled Ethan as he found another shelf with several noticeable books missing. "Some one beat us here and removed all the books about Whitechapel, and Vampires."

"Found something," yelled Sarah. Ethan and Benny were at her side in a second. "It's a Creature Compendium."

"Look it was written by one of my ancestors... Eric I. Weir... Never heard of him," said Benny in a delighted tone as he read the cover. He took it from her, opened to the first page and read aloud. "_'Dedicated to my Father, Your Impossible Child Lives On.'_"

Sarah took it back from him, and flipped through the pages. Dust flew everywhere causing the three of them to cough.

"Ahool?" asked Benny in an amused voice as he stopped coughing and read from the page. "Owl like creature with large white eyes that are considered the vermin of the supernatural world. They feed on-"

"See if you can find anything under ringmaster or faceless creature or masked monster," said Ethan as he attempted to read over her shoulder.

Sarah nodded and turned towards the index. "Found something about masks." She turned to the designated page before letting out an aggravated growl. "Someone ripped out the page."

"Dead end," said Benny sadly. "What do we do?"

"We're going to the Vampire Council," said Ethan as he looked up determinedly. "They've been here since Whtiechapel started which means they have to know something. Plus I'm willing to bet some of those book in their library don't even belong to them."

"Good call," said Benny as he took the Compendium and put it into his satchel. "I don't know why but I have a feeling this will come in handy later."

"This is not going to end well for me," said Sarah with a sigh as she followed after them. "The last time we went to the Council, Stern exploded."

* * *

The walk to the council troubled Ethan as he noted the flyers and posters urging people to visit Everlasting Circus before it's departure on Friday. They had three days left to stop whatever Celeste was planning, three days and no information. He looked at his friends and noticed the same distressed look on their faces. The sooner they talked to the council the better. Once they reached the building two vampires stepped in their way.

"What do you want?" Demanded the taller of the two. "No one is allowed beyond this point without either a summons or an appointment."

Sarah grabbed the first guard while Benny casted a knock out spell on the second.

"You'd think they know who we are by now," mumbled Benny as he poked the unconscious guards. "It's not like we save the city every week or anything."

Ethan opened the door and headed towards the large table feeling unnaturally brave and defiant with both Benny and Sarah at his side. The Council members took note of them and resumed their conversation as if the the trio didn't matter.

"Whitechapel is in danger," declared Ethan as he approached the table. He looked directly at Anastasia and noted the strange necklace around her neck. "Everlasting Circus is trying to kill any and all vampires in the city not only that but-"

"What are you talking about?" asked Anastasia as she looked up at him annoyed. "Everlasting Circus has followed every single one of our rules, and they will be treated as guests."

"What are _you_ talking about?" asked Sarah as she took a step forward. "They kidnapped both Erica and Rory, tried to kill the three of us and not only that but vampires can't even get anywhere near the circus."

"We were there last night," began Anastasia as she stood up her eyes glowing and voice deep. "If you make a move against or attack them then we will have a supernatural incident to deal with. They have followed our laws and given no reason to-"

"Are you stupid? We're all in danger right-"

"Silence!" Demanded the young Vampire as she slammed her hands down on the desk. "Do not force us to put the three of-."

"We're not the problems here!" Screamed Benny as he produced his spell book. "The circus is! We're just trying to help!"

"Enough!" Yelled Ethan as he looked from his friends to Anastasia. "We didn't come here to argue. We came to ask you what you know about the Ringmasters."

The council recoiled and Anastasia let out a hiss as her fangs appeared. There was a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes. "Where did you hear that word?"

"The faceless monsters call themselves the Ringmasters. We've been looking through the old abandon library and there's no species called-"

"We've taken the liberty of removing them from history," said Anastasia as several vampires appeared behind the council and at the entrance to the room. "The less you know the better, now be gone before we make you leave."

* * *

The sun had long since set when the trio emerged from the Vampire Council building. Benny let out a defeated groan, pulled out the Creature Compendium, flipped to the missing page and looked over his shoulder at the building with contempt in his eyes.

"So they were the ones who ripped out the pages of my ancestor's Compendium and stole the other missing history books."

"Did you guys notice the necklace she was wearing?" asked Ethan as he crossed his arms. "It had the same design as the poster and ticket. Celeste got to her first."

"What do we do now?" asked Sarah as she looked down at the ground. "She's always one step ahead of us."

"I don't know," answered Ethan honestly. "I just don't know."

They spent the walk to the Weir house in silence. Sarah felt lost, if Celeste won then that meant her kind was in danger, and it would only be a matter of time before the woman would come after her. Benny could only describe the feeling in his stomach as empty. He longed for the mom who would comfort him when he sad, the one that told him stories about never giving up, not this woman who seemed bent on destruction.

Ethan watched his two friends walk with their heads down in defeat and examined his own feelings. She had bested them at every turn: the symbols, the circus, the books, the council. For every step they took she was at least three ahead. Not only that but her victory meant loss for both Benny and Sarah, and that wasn't something he was willing to let happen. He clenched his fists, he would fight even if it was a losing battle he would fight and give it everything he had.

"I've never seen the bunch of you looking so depressed before." They looked up and stopped. Standing in front of the Weir house was none other than Jesse. He gave them a smile. "Let me guess... no matter where you go Celeste is in control or information is missing, or things are just out of your reach. Am I right?"

"We're not in the mood for your games," said Ethan as he unsheathed his knife. "What do you want?"

"Relax I'm here to help. Together we're going to stop her before she does some real damage."

"And why should we believe you?"

"I helped with your Stern problem didn't I?"

"I'm not convinced," said Sarah as she bared her fangs. "You only show up when you need or want something."

"Fine, if Celeste gets what she wants then it's game over for the rest of us, and though you may not know it that includes you all. Vampires aren't the only thing she's after, she'll come after anyone who stood in her way. You need my help and my secret weapon if you want to win."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Benny as he held up his spell book. "You left us trapped in the council room after the Lucifractor exploded."

Jesse whistled and a young boy no older than ten emerged from the Weir house. He walked over to the vampire and stared at the trio with fear in his eyes. Ethan, Benny and Sarah all shared the same confused look.

"This is Project Halcyon" said Jesse as he crossed his arms. "Also known as Eric Icarus Weir, fourth generation Spellmaster and-"

"Fourth generation?" asked Benny as he gave him a confused look. "That doesn't make sense. Grandma is the oldest living Weir, then my mom and finally me. And since Celeste and Grandma don't have any brothers or sisters I'm the last of the Weir line."

"Which by default makes Benny third generation Weir," said Ethan as he crossed his arms. "Unless...," his eyes widened as the sudden realization came to him. He peered closely at the boy and turned to Jesse. "No... it isn't."

"It is," said Jessie as he smiled. "I think it's time I told you about Celeste Weir, the Ringmasters, and of course Benny's son here Project Halcyon."

* * *

A/N: Hmm, some of you had fun guesses with what Project Halcyon is. But no one was right, Eric is important (both to this story and others). This marks the official end of Part I! I'll update in about two weeks with the beginning of Part II! Promise! Don't forget to leave a review and tune in for the next chapter aptly titled: Origins.


	8. Origins

A/N: Ta-da! I wanted to take two weeks off to finish scripting the final five or so chapters but I couldn't wait! Here ya go! Don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom! Enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 8: Origins

Ethan sat in the chair while Sarah positioned herself next to him on the arm; together they shared a concerned look and then peered across the room to where both Benny and Eric were seated. Benny shifted uncomfortably in his seat while the young boy kept his eyes focused on the ground and away from unnecessary eye contact. Evelyn entered the room with a small blue crystal in hand; she gave it to Jesse before taking a seat on the sofa in between the two boys. After a moment of brief silence Jesse held up the glowing blue object, cleared his throat and began:

"_In order to understand everything that's happening in Whitechapel right now, you need to know the history of the monsters known only as the Ringmasters. __They are not a supernatural species as you were all led to believe…. They're so much worse than that. A collection of three powerful Spellmasters that began a religious order bent on the complete and total purification of the world."_

The crystal began to flash before displaying images in the air around them. It showed three tall shadowed individuals towering over those weaker than them.

"_Their ultimate belief is that vampires and any other supernatural creatures were created by the first Spellmaster in a horrible accident. In order to atone for this mistake they traveled the word attempting to purge anything that wasn't magical leaving a trail of death and destructions wherever they went."_

The image changed. The same three figures as they watched the construction of buildings in the valley below.

"_Two hundred and ninety nine years ago they came across this city as it was being built. The purpose of Whitechapel, then unnamed, was to be a haven for creatures that didn't quite fit into the world. They offered us their power, told us how ambitious our dreams were and together we manage to double the size of the city in less than a week. The entire community agreed to call our new home Black Church after the cloaks the Spellmasters wore."_

Jesse and Anastasia as they shook hands with two of the three mysterious figures.

"_It wasn't long before the Vampire Council realized something wasn't right. Citizens started to disappear, too many vanishing at once to be anything less than suspicious. We investigated and what we found still haunts me to this very day…."_

Everyone in the living room turned away disgusted by the sight the crystal had displayed for them. People of all ages from babies to old men lay on the floor with various appendages missing. Some had needles and wires poking out of their bodies, others were missing their skin and all were crying out in agony. Against the wall children were strung up by chains and on the center table the three Ringmasters towered over a young girl who looked directly at them her face contorted by misery and pain.

"_Sick and vile experiments to try and remove the 'supernatural disease' that rested in vampires or sirens, or werewolves, or anything that wasn't magic. It was horrible… dark magic the likes of which the world has never seen and will hopefully never see again. It took the entire council and several other Spellmasters to finally apprehend them, and once we did they were sentenced to hang." _

The three shadowed figures standing on the gallows with ropes laced around their necks. Down below several people clad in white emerged from the crowd arms raised and fingers pointed.

"_But death was deemed too kind a fate for monsters such as these. We wanted to turn them, force them to live lives as the creatures they hated, but idea of immortality in the hands of these things…. No…. It was the Spellmasters that came up with a fitting punishment. Three Weirs, a grandfather, his daughter and her son combined their magic with the blood of the sacrificed children and cursed the souls of the Ringmasters for all eternity."_

The three figures dropped. There was a sickening snap, and the bodies swayed lazily in afternoon breeze.

"_The Weir magic transformed their souls into spectral energy, and their punishment? To watch as supernatural creatures slowly began to integrate themselves into the world and they accursed for all of time would be unable to anything about it. They attempted to find substitute bodies and discovered they could not inhabit them if they already had a mind. Makeshift bodies worked no better as they would rot from within as a reminder to the Ringmasters of the beasts they were and the experiments they performed."_

Images of the Cubile Animus and Lucifractor appeared.

"_I wish I could say it was the end of them but it wasn't. They left behind objects infused with their dark magic hoping one day someone would find them and use them to resume where they had left off. It was almost a hundred years before we began to come across the possessed artifacts. The Cubile Animus was the first; it possessed my mind and then absorbed the souls of my followers. I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late and by then I had lost everything. The Lucifractor was another; and as you know it ended up in the hands of Galen Sinestero one of their many followers and apprentices. In order to prevent further mishaps such as these Anastasia had the lab, and all their research books burned. Anything that spoke of them was confiscated and destroyed. For the most part the Ringmasters were erased from history. Until nine years ago…."_

A picture of Celeste as she wandered through the old abandon library.

"_What we didn't know was they had slipped a magical journal into the town library, and while hidden amongst all the books it constantly updated itself with their secrets and dark arts. The original library sunk into the ground and was eventually built over when Whitechapel began to expand again. Celeste, in her curiosity, came across the old building looking for a way to help calm the supernatural forces that plagued the city. That's when she found it. What she didn't know was by opening the book she would inevitably summon its creators."_

"_By then the ritual preformed by the three Weirs had weakened and combined with the energy from their artifacts the disembodied spirits of the Ringmasters could interact with the material world in little ways. They used telepathy to convince Celeste about their cause, and every night plagued her dreams with the horrors of what they had done and what she had read in the journal. It drove her to the point of madness, and in that haste she decided she had to everything in her power to stop them from ever coming back."_

Celeste as she placed a kiss on a young Benny's forehead, there were tears in her eyes.

"_What that amounted do was unfortunately very little. By then they had already had a firm grasp on her mind, and in order to buy time she destroyed the book thus hiding its secrets from the material world. The Ringmasters in their fury gave her an option: join them and their cause, or watch as they destroyed her family. She agreed to go with them, but not without a fight. Knowing they needed her for her for lineage and memories she casted a powerful memory spell on herself. At that moment Celeste Weir, and all the dark knowledge of the Ringmasters was lost."_

Eris T. Weelec as she greeted the crowd that stood in front of her circus.

"_But the three of them would not allow her to win, and together with what little magic they had, created a personality to fill the void that was her body and mind. Thus Eric T. Weelec was born. She faked her death and fled with her new masters. Little by little they restored her memories, and powers, this time modifying her to do their bidding and to be their puppet. When she was strong enough she created Everlasting Circus as a guise to travel the world and continue the work of the ones who created her."_

An image of Eric as Celeste and the three faceless shadows towered over him.

"_On the tricentennial anniversary of the Ringmaster's sealing the ritual can be undone. Project Halcyon was created seven years ago as a backup in case Evelyn died during the period in which Celeste left and Eris returned. She used a strand of your hair Benny to create Eric. He was raised for one purpose and one purpose only- his magic. Your mother even after losing herself was still a loving and caring woman, especially when it came to Project Halcyon. She would often spend time alone with Eric telling him all about her past life and the woman she used to be calling him her long lost child. Her masters unfortunately saw Eric as only a tool, they stripped him of his ability to talk and forcibly extracted magic from his body. Everyday they would return and everyday he would wish for death. Eric's existence was not kind."_

The crystal stopped glowing and Jesse nodded his head. Eric slowly lifted up his shirt with a look of shame and defeat across his face. Ethan felt the fight go out of him as he stared at the young boy's body. Scars all across the small figure, some were old, other appeared new, but all of them made him sick.

"Oh my god," whispered Evelyn as she stared at a scar that ran from his stomach to his shoulder and then down his back. "To forcibly remove magic like this…."

"Like I said," whispered Jesse as he looked away from them. "We're fighting evil, pure concentrated evil."

Eric lowered his shirt and Evelyn pulled the young boy into a hug. "Your safe now child, I promise they won't lay another hand on you."

"Is all of that true?" asked Sarah as she rubbed her face not sure what to believe anymore. "I-I mean it's just…."

"It's horrible," said Ethan as he crossed his arms and took in a deep breath. "You called Eric your secret weapon, why?"

"Celeste originally planned to undo the curse on their souls with the power of three Weirs," said Jesse as he looked over at the young child. "Eric as I mentioned earlier was a spare, since they no longer had a use for him he was to serve as a vessel for one of her masters. The Ringmasters however, preferred the bodies of the faceless mannequins as they're stronger, and designed to kill supernatural creatures. They decided on a new fate for the boy. They were going to drain the entirety of blood and magic from his body and pump it into theirs in order to make themselves impervious to Weir magic... forever."

"So you kidnapped him, and put a major dent in her plans."

"I thought I did, but thanks to you she now has magic from both Benny and Evelyn. She can still undo the ritual, but that's where Eric gives us an advantage."

"How?" Asked Benny feeling protective of the boy. "How do you expect him to help us?"

"If we can get some of Celeste's magic then we can re-enforce the curse with four generations. If we do she won't be able to free them and once Friday passes they'll have to wait another hundred years before they can attempt to undo the ritual again."

"We actually have a sample of her magic, will this be enough?" asked Ethan as he produced one of the black rings from his pocket. Jesse took it and examined it closely.

"This is the Ringmaster's magic," he tossed it back to Ethan. "Not Celeste's."

"What?"

"I'm guessing she's feeding off their power, and in turn her magic has been diluted into theirs. If we're going to pull off this ritual we're going to need some of her own concentrated magic, and we're going to need some of his." He pointed at Eric.

"He can't talk," said Benny defensively. "How exactly do you expect us to get magic from him?"

"I don't know and I don't care, he's known pain all his life, I'm sure a little more wouldn't hurt."

Sarah was in front of him in a flash. "How do we even know we can trust you?"

"You don't," whispered Jesse as he gave her fanged smile. "But you don't have much of a choice do you?"

Evelyn snapped her fingers and the vampire boy stumbled backwards gasping for air. "You are a guest in my house and so long as you're here you will treat my blood and acquaintances with respect. Now I happen to have an artifact that might be useful in your quest."

She exited the room and returned a few moments later with a small rod embedded with several colorful gems. "This is the Weir family Chakra Wand."

"What's that?" asked Benny as he stared as the object.

"It's a powerful artifact," whispered Jesse his eyes burning with desire as he looked at it. "I've heard about them but never seen one before."

"It's a magical storage device," said Evelyn as she handed it to Eric. "It stores magic from the current Weir line, all you have to do is get a Weir to hold it and it can generate an infinite amount of their magic. See the grey orb? That's mine, Benny yours is this blue one."

The moment Eric made contact with the object a green gem flare to life. "And it looks like this one is Eric's."

"Does it have Celeste's energy?" asked Ethan, as he looked it over. "And what are the orbs made of?"

"It did at one point," said Evelyn sadly. "Unfortunately magic doesn't last forever, see the clear gem here? That was my daughter's; if we can get close enough to her magic it should start to generate it again. And to answer your question Ethan it's a rare and powerful type of moonstone."

"What do we do now?" asked Sarah already knowing the answer.

"We have to head into the circus," said Benny worriedly. "Let me research the set-up of the tents, there should be hotspots of Celeste's magic hidden within the symbol."

Evelyn nodded proud of her Grandson. Jesse rolled his eyes, and Ethan asked:

"How do you know all this anyways?"

"I was there for the first hundred years, after that I managed to pieces things together. What gaps I had Eric filled in for me, like I said earlier Celeste liked to talk."

"But how did you know about Eric?"

"Older vampires are sensitive to magic, I could sense the hate and malice in the circus. The fist time I came across it was totally accidental, and I didn't even put the connection together. I followed it half-heartedly just in case it should be something of interest. When Stern made his move I knew that meant the Ringmasters had to be returning, I put two and two together and that's when I decided to intercepted the circus. I kidnapped Eric when it was on route to Whitechapel, but like I said at that point the boy had outlived his purpose and was basically waiting to be slaughtered."

Ethan looked at Eric who nodded. He thought about the noticeable gaps in the story and instead asked: "Why did you wait so long then?"

"Like I said I didn't put it together until just a few weeks ago," said Jesse as he licked his fangs. "Besides immortality is boring, things are so much enjoyable when they're in motion."

"You haven't changed one bit," said Sarah disgustedly as she flashed him her fangs. "I think it's time you left."

"I'm the only one who knows the ritual that can bind the Ringmasters," hissed Jesse in response his face inches from her. "You need me."

"And we're the ones who have the magic," said Benny as he stood up and clenched his fists. "What are you really after?"

Jesse looked at Benny his eyes glowing yellow. "Wouldn't you like to know." He whistled and motioned for Eric to follow him. "Come on."

"He's not going with you," said Benny as he stepped in between the boy and vampire. "He's staying here with us."

"And why I would I do that?"

Sensing the tension in the room Ethan stood up and held out his hands. "We can't do this without each other, and right now the top priority is getting Celeste's magic. Eric will stay with us, and the ritual will stay with you, when we're ready we'll meet up again. Is that understood?"

Jesse laughed. "You honestly have no idea what we're up against do you?"

"We're up against monsters," said Ethan as he crossed his arms and then motioned to his friends. "But we're always up for a fight. When everything's ready we'll call you."

On that note Jesse bowed out but not before giving Eric one final possessive look.

* * *

Benny flipped through the pages of _Seals and Other Techniques_, and let out a frustrated growl when he couldn't find what he was looking for. He leaned back in his chair and thought about what both Ethan and Sarah had told him. They had managed to escaped the faceless monster when E had thrown the moon rocks at it… was there a connection?

He opened his little spell book to section on moon rocks, and nodded. They were used to sample magic, and magic was made of nature and emotions…. So when Ethan had thrown the rocks at the monster had he somehow disturbed that process? He closed his eyes and thought back on their adventures. What was he missing? He began to focus.

_"What's the connection between the encounters?" _All at once several things clicked.

The burning smell! Sarah's injury! Of course!

He flipped to the Breath and Death and then searched the index of Seals and Other Techniques. He found what he was looking for: the ability to give emotions physical form. He read the passage and smiled triumphantly. According to the entry human emotions could be bound and fused with objects or spells to give them a give them a makeshift body. He thought about the faceless ringmasters and masked performers. If the object the emotions were bound were broken or that connection interrupted then the binding would weaken and loose it shape.

It made sense. The masked performers were bound to their masks; smashed they lost form and vanished. The faceless monsters had to be fused with the Breath of Death, and when Ethan tossed the moon rocks at one it must've loosened the body's form by absorbing the magic. No wonder Celeste has chosen a circus, what better place to collect human emotions?

Benny allowed his smile to grow. It would be child's play to counter the Breath of Death now, his moment of triumph faltered. They still needed to get into the circus to collect Celeste's magic, and even if they did they was no way to unleash their counter spells as long as the Ringmasters and bound emotions remained within the safety of their barrier. Not only that but they were going to need a lot of energy to power the counter spell…. If they wanted to stop her then the magical barrier needed to come down.

He turned to his reflection in the mirror and thought about Eric, who was currently sleeping in the guest room. He felt anger boil in the pit of his stomach. How could they do that to someone, let alone a kid? He stared at his reflection and then smiled again.

"That's smart," whispered Benny as began to flip through the pages of his own personal spell book. "You thought could outsmart me…. Oh no, no one get's the better of Benny Weir, especially his own mother."

Ethan's phone went off and he picked it up. Unable to contain his excitement he let out a shout of joy. The message was simple and to the point.

_It's time to make our move -B_

* * *

A/N: I hope that answered questions and got you excited we have one more regular chapter left and then the big four part finale! If you have any questions that weren't answered leave them in a review or PM me and I'll get you answers. (as long as they don't have to do with the upcoming chapters of course!) Don't forget to leave and review and I'll see you again in a few days!


	9. Once More into the Maw

A/N: Last regular chapter! Everything after this is the ending (which is actually finished and sitting in my Doc Manager), so I promise the final chapters will be updated every four days or so! So after this we have the three part ending: End Game, followed by the epilouge! I hope you'll stick around! Enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 9: Once More into the Maw

_**I used to have nightmares every night. Since I was saved from the circus they've gone away. They were always about the monsters and sometimes Celeste.**_

Ethan read the paper Eric held up, and sighed as leaned on the table. "How much do you remember?"

The boy looked down with sad eyes and quickly wrote something before holding it up. **_I remember everything about the circus._**

"I-" Ethan flushed red with embarrassment. He needed to word his questions better, he didn't want to have Eric dwell in his dark past. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean... I meant about Jesse saving you."

Eric's eyes lit up and he wrote out:**_ He's a man nice man. Why don't you guys like him?_**

"He's done some pretty bad things to us in the past."

**_Like what? _**

Ethan unconsciously grabbed his arm as he recalled being bitten. He shook his head and said: "You don't need to hear about that right now, what I meant was did Jesse tell us the truth about saving you?"

_**Yes.** _More scribbles.**_ He found me when the circus was going to Whitechapel. He was really nice, but I like you guys more._**

Ethan smiled and reached over to ruffle the boy's hair. When he did the world faded and in the back of his mind he heard a strange distant voice. _"When disease has spread beyond control extreme measures must be taken. In order to win the board must be cleared of any and all obstacles. Behold the true purpose of Project Halcyon." _Ethan pulled his hand back suddenly, it been a long time since he had a vision.

_**What?**_ wrote Eric as he held up his paper. _**Are you ok?**_

"I-I'm fine," said Ethan without looking at him. "I'm a Seer and sometimes I can see or hear things that are going to happen... Do you know when Benny's going to get home? He told me to meet him here now and he's not."

_**He's helping set up the dance. He will be home soon.** _Ethan nodded and Eric added: **_Can I ask what you saw/heard?_**

"It's nothing," said Ethan with a frown as he checked his phone and nervously tapped his hand on the table. His vision had unnerved him, and the fact that it was late Wednesday night only made things worse. At school he had poked and prodded Benny about his plan and the brunette has simply told him to meet at his house at seven. It was seven fifteen and the Spellmaster was no where to be seen. Could Celeste have gotten to him? Was he in trouble? In a futile attempt to calm his nerves he checked his messages again.

The last one right was from right after school: _Working on the plan. See you later-B_

_**Don't be nervous.** _Eric gave Ethan a smile from behind the paper. _**From what Great Grandma was saying Dad is always late!**_

Ethan opened his mouth to respond when Benny walked into the kitchen covered in both sweat and paint. He ruffled Eric's hair and tossed his backpack onto the table. Eric held up his paper.

_**Hi Dad!**_

"Hey little man," said Benny as he picked up an apple and took a bite from it. "What's with that look E?"

"I thought Celeste had gotten you," said Ethan with a nervous laugh. "I guess I'm just on edge now."

"Yeah I lost track of time setting thing up at the school dance," said Benny with a smile as he stuck the apple in his mouth and pulled both his spell book _and Seals and Other Techniques_ out of his backpack. "Did you hear I'm the new DJ for the Friday night dance."

"We're supposed to be stopping Celeste Friday night."

"I know," said Benny with a gleam in his eye. "Trust me on this. Eric why don't you go help Grandma in her study, E and I need to talk."

The boy nodded before giving Benny a hug and running out of the kitchen. Ethan gave his friend a weird look.

"He's a really nice kid," responded Benny as he opened the books. "So here's the plan."

He highlighted his ideas and little by little Ethan nodded. He added his own advice and after an hour the two friends shared a fist bump. Operation M was ready to go. When Ethan left he felt elated, for the first time since the circus had come to town they were finally ahead of Celeste, and it was about time too. His vision had long since been forgotten and what mattered at the moment was pulling off Operation M tomorrow night.

* * *

Sarah crossed her arms as she peered between the two boys. She didn't like this, not one bit, and every one of her vampire instincts were flaring up at the idea. It was one thing to go into the circus when they were a group, but to send them in alone while she was forced to wait out here for them? She bit her lip in worry, and after a moment of hesitation asked:

"Do you really have to go in there?"

"Yeah," said Ethan as he gave her a sad smile. "We need a pure sample of Celeste's magic, and this is the only way to get it. If we don't do this now, then tomorrow she's gonna revive the Ringmasters and that's a major game over for the rest of us. Don't worry though once we do this we'll be one step closer to winning."

Benny nodded in agreement as he zipped up his jacket. "Just imagine her face when we pull of Operation M, she won't know what hit her."

"There has to be another way to get her magic," whispered Sarah as she shifted from foot to foot. She had never been the one to sit on the sidelines before and she definitely wasn't liking it so far. "Right?"

It was Benny who answered. "Nope, this is the only way." He tossed Ethan the chakra wand. "We don't like it either."

"Don't worry," said Ethan as he gave her a thumbs up. "With the rings Grandma gave us we'll be able to sneak in undetected, and be safe from the magic in the circus."

"Be careful," said Sarah as she gave Ethan a hug. She held him tight. "Don't do anything reckless."

"We're about to go into the lair of the most dangerous creatures known to magical history," said Benny with a dismissive shrug. "We can't get anymore reckless than that."

"He's got a point," said Ethan with a smile as he pulled away from Sarah. "I promise we'll come back in one piece."

She leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek when Ethan suddenly took a step back. He held up his finger and waved it back and forth. "Trust me you don't want to do that."

Before she could respond the two boys set off towards the entrance. Standing at the front gate Ethan donned his ring and Benny nodded.

"I'll distract Celeste," said Benny as he looked at Ethan. "You go around and collect the samples, I marked them on the map for you." When his friend nodded he stepped into the threshold and vanished.

A few minutes later Ethan followed in. He opened the map. Four hot spots, twenty minutes, and a whole lot that could go wrong. He headed for the first one.

* * *

Benny walked straight towards the main tent, the one according to Jesse, Eric and the picture from Rory was the exact center of the not only the circus but the magical symbol. He took in a deep breath approached the gold and silver entrance, mustering the entirety of his strength he entered. On the far side of the rather small tent sat Celeste, she gave him an annoyed look. In front of her rested a chessboard, the pieces moved to and fro by themselves and above floated several orbs projecting images of the tents and attractions. He watched as people moved about and smiled. He frowned when he noticed the three Ringmasters were missing.

"Hi Mom," said Benny as he tried to forget the scars he had seen on Eric, the tales Jesse had told, and images they had seen. It wouldn't do any good to get angry; instead he did his best to remain calm. "I wish I could say I was happy to see you again."

"How stupid do you think we are?" asked Celeste as she leaned forward on her elbows. "I know that while you are trying to distract me Ethan suck in here to try to collect my magic."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Benny as he watched her stand up. He noted that her golden staff rested in the far corner of the tent and he gave her a shrug. "I just wanted to talk, to try and understand why you're doing this. I mean you weren't a blood thirsty psycho woman who made illegitimate grandchildren in her free time before you died."

"I see you have your Grandmother's sarcasm, a shame really, it is after all the only flaw in the Weir line. If you want to ask questions then do it quick." She approached him her white cloak glowing in the light. "Because once the Ringmasters find your friend, they will spill his blood, and I can guarantee he will be die."

One of the orbs from above lowered.

_Ethan ran to the planetarium and held up the Weir chakra wand. After a few seconds the clear orb darkened every so slightly. He waited for another minute before checking the map; the next location according to Benny was the Ice Garden. He weaved in and out of the crowd and from the corner of his eye caught something moving amidst the shadows._

"I figured as much," said Benny casually as he closed the gap between them. He was as tall as she was, maybe even a little taller. He leaned forward and gave her his best smile. "You need E's blood to finish the ritual, not only that but you also need my magic."

"That is correct." Celeste turned from him, as she did he watched people move about in the other orbs. "We need three consecutive Weir generations to undo the curse, we have Evelyn, Eric's and mine. Yours is the only missing one, and once we have it nothing will stand in our way."

"And what makes you think I'm just going to willingly give you my magic?"

"One way or another you will." Together two of them watched as Ethan continued to run.

_Ethan saw the monsters and continued to make his way through the crowd. They wouldn't dare make a move until he was alone, of that much he was sure. It was after the fact he was afraid of. He slid to stop in front of the Ice Garden and peered down at the chakra wand. The sphere darkened again and he looked at the map. _

"You had no idea what it was like," whispered Benny as he watched his friend's frantic dash though the circus. "To watch and think you were dying. You looked so sick... and lost..."

Celeste winced in pain and stepped away from him. "I was. I removed all the unnecessary memories from my mind, in order to better... In order to better... In order to better serve my masters."

"You know there are other ways to dealing with Whitechapel's problems. You can live in peace with them, Ethan and I do it every day."

"I... I know," said Celeste as she brought a hand up to her head. She winced in pain for a moment. "I was looking for a way… so… so Benny could be…." Whatever was happening to her stopped. She looked directly at him her eyes a cold green color. "I prefer the more permanent solution. You and Ethan could have done great things under my power, imagine what my masters may have been able to teach you, what I may have been able to show you. We could have changed the world together as mother and son."

"I'm not your son, and you're not my mother. My mom would never create a grandson then offer him up to monsters as a sacrifice."

Celeste said nothing.

_Ethan stopped in front of the old fashion arcade and smiled when the orb began to turn a light purple color. All he needed was one last spot before-_

_"You fight a fruitless battle."_

_From the shadows the three rotting Ringmasters appeared. He tried to run and found himself boxed in. Backed against the wall Ethan looked around wildly, no escape. The last thing he saw before they grabbed him was dark purple fingernails and pale rotting hands._

Benny flinched when the Ringmasters appeared in the tent and dumped Ethan to the ground in front of him. He reached out for his friend when he felt Celeste slap him. He stumbled to the ground his cheek burning and helplessly watched as she took a step forward and pulled the dagger free from his jacket.

"This belongs to me," declared Celeste before grabbing Ethan's hand and holding it up. She ran the blade along it and gave them a sinister smile when his blood fell to the ground. Benny tried to make a move again and stopped when the three rotting husks of the Ringmasters stepped forward to block him. From the entrance several more faceless creatures appeared.

"What?" asked Benny as he looked around with a false sense of confidence. "No masked monsters today?"

"The mannequins are stronger than them," said Celeste triumphantly as she turned to her masters. They nodded and from the depths of her cloak she produced a moonstone. She turned to back Benny. "If you would be so kind as to give us your magic."

"And if I don't?"

One of the Ringmasters picked up Ethan and she pressed the blade to his neck. "Then he dies."

Benny smiled and began to laugh. Celeste grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up. "Why are you laughing? Why!"

Benny suddenly vanished. She turned around in enough time to catch Ethan as he dropped several smoke bombs and ran for the exit. There was a loud ripping sound as the Ringmasters tore his backpack reaching for him. When the smoke cleared he was gone. She bent down and picked up both the chakra wand and the map he had left behind. She smiled victoriously, they had played right into her hands.

* * *

When Ethan emerged from the circus Sarah immediately pulled him into a hug. "Your ok!" She noted the scent of blood in the air and saw the wound on his hand. "You're bleeding!"

"Crushing-me," squeaked Ethan, as he turned red. When she let him go he smiled and took in a breath of fresh air. "I'm surprised you haven't broken E in half before, and don't worry about my hand it's fine."

"Where's Benny?" She looked around. "Did something happen? Is he all right?"

"Did you not just hear me?" asked Ethan with a strange grin that wasn't his. "I told you I'm fine…. What's with the strange look?"

"Y-you're not Ethan," said Sarah as she backed away from the imposter.

"No because I am," said Ethan as he emerged from the circus… again. This time with an orange hat and black jacket. "All according to plan."

"What?" asked Sarah as she took a step back confused. "Two Ethans?"

"One Ethan," said Ethan as the other transformed into Benny. "And two Bennys."

"I'm so lost," said Sarah as she looked between them. Ethan smiled and gave Benny a high-five before turning to Sarah.

"Here's the run down. We knew Celeste would be on the look out for us, so Benny created a double using the spell his Grandma taught him. Then he transformed himself to look like me and together the two of them entered the circus. The Ringmasters chased him while the duplicate distracted Celeste. That allowed me to enter the circus undetected, and to get what we really needed."

He handed Benny the real chakra wand and then held up an orb. "This was on her staff, during all the commotion you and your duplicate were creating I grabbed it and replaced it with a fake. I was only able to grab one though."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sarah trying to follow their convoluted plan.

"Remember her staff?" Asked Benny as he motioned for them to follow him, he wanted as much distance between them and Everlasting Circus as possible. "The one with the orbs in it? When you were attacked on Monday E saw the faceless monster hand off a moonstone, we figured Celeste had to be hiding the samples of magic close."

"The only logical place," said Ethan still grinning. "Was her staff. When Benny dropped the smoke bombs, I snuck into the tent and replaced one of the samples with a fake moonstone."

"This one is Eric's," whispered Benny before he smashed it into the ground. "Now Celeste has no way of getting magic from him and making the Ringmasters impervious to our awesome Weir powers. Not only that but they basically confirmed they needed Ethan's blood to undo the curse."

"We've put a major crack in her plans," said Ethan with a smile. "All we have to do now is prepare for tomorrow."

"What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

Ethan turned to look at the circus with determination burning in his eyes. "Tomorrow is the end game."

"Ok I have to ask," said Sarah more than impressed with their plan. "Who thought of this?"

"Both of us," said the boys in unison.

"So if Benny was you…. Then I tried to kiss Benny!" As the realization dawned on her she let out a shriek: "Ewwww! Gross!"

"Ouch," whispered Benny as he watched her suddenly run off. He turned to Ethan who had his mouth wide open in shock. He gave him a shrug and did his best to act cool. "What can I say? The ladies love me."

* * *

Jesse said nothing as paced along the outskirts of the Whitechapel forest. How could be have been so stupid to leave Project Halcyon with Sarah and her little group of so called friends? They had no idea what they were going up against, and if he had learned anything during his long life it was never to doubt your enemies, especially ones as ancient and dangerous at the Ringmasters. His cellphone went off with a beep, and with an annoyed frowned he picked it up.

_We're doing the plan tomorrow. Be there. -E_

He smiled, apparently Ethan has finally grown a backbone in the last few weeks. He responded then looked around, something wasn't right. He sniffed the air and bared his fangs.

"Come out," demanded Jesse as turned in all directions. Vampires both old and young appeared around him. "What do you want?"

"For crimes against our kind and by order of Lady Anastasia," said the apparent leader of the group as he walked forward. "You are to be placed under arrest and brought to the Council for trial."

"Do you really think I'm going to go with you?"

From behind the vampires five faceless ringmasters appeared. Jesse frowned when he noticed the pins each one of the vampires were wearing. They were the same design as Celeste circus. He watched as they closed in and clenched his fists, he wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

Celeste examined the fake stone on her staff, and in a mixture of amusement and annoyance she wretched it free. She placed Benny's moonstone in its place and took in a deep breath. The clone had been just enough, and now with his magic and Ethan's blood everything was in place for the ritual. She sat down triumphantly and picked up the map the boys had left behind in their haste. With this she could- it suddenly changed.

_Better luck next time!- Love B & E_

"Impossible," whispered Celeste a she made a grab for the chakra wand. It changed into a carrot and for a moment she simply stared at it unable to comprehend what had just happen. When it dawned on her she flung it against the side of the tent and slammed her fists against the table. How was it possible? She turned to the blood on the ground and whispered and incantation. It began to glow... it was Weir blood.

_"You underestimated your enemy."_

The three Ringmasters appeared from the shadows of the tents. They spread out around her.

_"We have removed the final hinderance in our way."_

_"All that's left is the Promised Day, and the ritual."_

_"Whitechapel will be purified by our hands."_

All at once they spoke:

_"Do not fail us."_

"I will not," said Celeste as she held up her staff. She hurried from the tent with the rotting bodies slowly following after her. "By day's end tomorrow the Seer will come to us, his friends will be at our mercy, and once all is said and done you will have been restored to your full powers."

_"It is time to activate Project Halcyon."_

She slammed her staff on the ground and turned to face her teachers with a wild look in her eyes. "Are you mad?" For a moment her eyes went unfocused and she stared past them. "He's just a child..."

One of the Ringmasters stepped forward and placed a purple fingernail against her head. She snapped to attention and turned away from them. "Forgive me, I have spoken out of turn. What I meant was Project Halcyon's secondary function has never been tested. We have no idea how it would operate, or if it can work. Not the mention the loss of innocent life."

_"It takes twenty four hours to build the necessary amount of energy needed."_

_"Sacrifices must be made in order to clear away all disease."_

_"Whitechapel must and will be purged."_

She nodded and held the staff up high. Each one of the stones began to glow, with all her strength she brought it to the ground. Across the city Eric's eyes flickered between blue and purple.

* * *

A/N: I had way to much fun writing this chapter and everything that comes after it. I will you see you on Friday/Saturdayish! Don't forget to leave a review!


	10. End Game

A/N: The beginning of the end, such a bitter sweet thing. I hope you'll stick around for the final ride, and fun fact this chapter was originally split into two but I thought otherwise and made it into one super chapter. I warn you now things are going to get intense, really really intense. What happens in here in no way prepares for the madness and chaos that is to come. Enjoy!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 10: End Game

Celeste raised her hands and from her place on the the elevated platform watched as the mannequins and masked performers gathered around her. She tapped her staff against the ground and they turned to her in unison.

"Today," began Celeste as she looked at the crowd before her. "Today is the day we bring back our masters. Today is the day we purge the supernatural filth in this city! We have less than twenty-four hours to complete our mission, if we fail, then Project Halcyon's secondary function will be used as the final option."

More mannequins began to appear. She smiled a grand total of six hundred mannequins and three hundred masked performers made up her army. Behind her the three Ringmasters emerged from the shadows.

"_All the pieces are in place."_

"_The awaited time has arrived."_

"_Our curse will be lifted."_

"Not quite yet," said Celeste as she motioned to the large clock floating above the tent. The hands were moving, slowly counting down to dusk. "But the time is nearing. We must ready ourselves for the end game."

She clapped her hands together and the monsters began to move about, they lined up against the gates and awaited the order to attack. Celeste took a seat in her tent and stared at the chessboard in front on her. All she needed now was the Seer.

* * *

Ethan looked at friends before leaning forward on the cafeteria table. He cleared his throat and gave them his best smile.

"This is it. Tonight Celeste is going to make her move to not only revive the Ringmasters but to try and kill all the vampires and other supernatural creatures in the city. Everything we've been working on this last week comes to this."

They nodded solemnly.

"Here's the plan," began Ethan as he ignored the nervous twist of his stomach. "Jesse has agreed to help us, and right now he's the only one with the knowledge about the ritual that can seal the Ringmasters."

"I can't believe you guys are trusting Jesse," said Erica as she shook her head in disapproval. "That jerk only helps when he has something to gain from it."

"Yeah," responded Rory with a nod. "What if he's working with the Ringmasters or-"

"We've already been over this," said Ethan. "Eric confirmed his story, we have to trust him." Ignoring their eye rolls he continued: "Jesse will meet with Sarah and the two will make their way over to the dance. Benny's rigged the decorations to amplify the ritual and with this sample of Celeste's magic the spell should be able to work within the barrier."

"What about us?" asked Erica as she raised her eyebrows. "We've been helping set up the dance all week, I don't know about these two but my fangs are dying for some action."

"Good because you and Rory are in charge of guarding Eric. The Ringmasters will try and make a move to capture him, and if they do they'll be able to make themselves invincible to Weir magic. Do I really need to say how much of a game over that would be for us? You can't let those monsters anywhere near him, ok?"

"Got it," said Rory with a thumbs up. "No one gets near Benny's son!"

"I still can't believe Eric is Benny's son," whispered Erica dramatically. "I mean it's just weird. How can he have a seven-year old son, and only be sixteen! And don't say magic because genetics doesn't work that way!"

"What about you Ethan?" asked Sarah as she mentally went over the plan. "Where are you going to be?"

"I'm heading into the circus."

Everyone but Benny looked at him. "What!"

"The only way for the ritual to work is for there to be a receiver inside the dome. That'll be me, the spell should lock onto the magical rings Benny's Grandma made." He noticed Sarah's worried look: "There's no other way."

She made a move to say something and stopped. Ethan frowned, so many unspoken words between them.

"Is it really a good idea to separate?" asked Rory after a few seconds. "I mean when you came to save us you were almost beat. Not only that but these past few days while we've been in detention you've been barely getting by."

"Rory's got a point," said Erica as she looked at them. "I don't think we should separate. It just gives Celeste an advantage over us."

"We don't have a choice," whispered Benny sadly. "Jesse is the only one who knows the ritual, I'm the only one who can activate the spell in the auditorium, we can't risk Eric being used as a sacrifice, and we need a receiver on the inside of the dome."

"You guys can't even get near it without getting sick," added Ethan with a sigh. "This is the only way." He checked his phone. Only an hour left to sundown. "Ok guys this is it, time to head for our positions."

"How do we know this will work?" asked Sarah suddenly as she stood up. "There are so many things that can go wrong."

In response Ethan stood up and looked directly at the poster of Everlasting Circus resting on the wall.

"Because we're Team Whitechapel, and we have more to protect now than ever."

* * *

When Rory and Erica arrived at the Weir house they found the front door missing, and the windows shattered. They ran inside as fast as their vampire speed would allow and split up to search the entire house. Erica found Evelyn lying on the sofa, a quick check quelled her worst fears- she was alive, just unconscious. Rory saw no signs of Eric or the attackers. He walked through the kitchen and to his delight found a small note.

**_Meet us at the underground library. Tell anyone else and the boy dies. We're watching._**

"What do we do?" asked Rory as he look to Erica for guidance. "If they have Eric then we need to tell Benny and-"

Erica shook her head. "We can't risk them hurting him. He's Benny's son, and if something happened to him because we didn't listen I-I don't think I could forgive myself."

"Yeah... you're right. We're team V! We can do this!"

"Something's bothering me," whispered Erica as she looked around the living room. The broken windows, the missing door, something was calling out to her and she was missing it. She shuddered. "I don't know why but the air feels... wrong."

"Now that you said something I do kind of feel tired," said Rory. He shook his head, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. "But that doesn't matter, we can figure it out on the way to saving Eric... Wait, we can't leave Benny's Grandma alone like this... Can we?"

Erica rolled her eyes and placed an anonymous call to the Morgans before motioning towards the front door. Together the two of them raced for the old library, both unaware that the broken glass from the windows rested outside the house and not in.

* * *

Sarah waited, and waited, and waited. Where was Jesse? He was the one going on about the dangers of the Ringmasters and Celeste and here she was waiting for him to show up. A few more moments passed before she detected a familiar scent in the air.

"Finally," said Sarah as she walked towards it. "It was about time I was-"

Jesse appeared with several of the council's guards. Each and every one of them wore the same pin depicting the symbol of Everlasting Circus. She took a step back and from the shadows more emerged.

"Lady Anastasia would like a word with you," said Jesse as he approached her his eyes a strange blue color. "If you fight we will be forced to stake you."

Sarah followed obediently, this wasn't good. Without Jesse they had no way of getting the ritual, and without the ritual they had no way of sealing the Ringmasters. This wasn't good at all.

* * *

Ethan looked at his phone and frowned, it was time. He approached the front gate and let out a nervous breath. A week ago he had been afraid of the circus, and here he was about to go into for the first time alone. No back up, no one but him and possibly the most dangerous creatures in history. He thought about everything that had led to this moment: Erica and Rory's kidnapping, the attack on his house, the appearance of both Jesse and Eric... He thought about his fears, the faceless creatures, the hurt in Benny's eyes when he said Celeste name, the scars on Eric's body and the way he looked down as if the world had defeated him, the worry in Sarah's eyes about her future and... and when she thought about him.

The large steel gate opened with a loud screech. He clenched his fists, too many people been hurt, so much blood had been spilt, it was time to end this. He entered the threshold and frowned when he saw several rows of faceless mannequins dressed as ringmasters. They were motionless and silent, sentinels awaiting orders from their masters. Ethan walked along the row until he reached the center tent. With a false sense of confidence he entered.

"Welcome once again to my circus," said Celeste from seat on the other side tent. In front of her rested the chessboard, while behind stood the three rotting bodies of the Ringmasters. She motioned for him to sit. "It has been long overdue, a talk between you and I."

"I know what you are," whispered Ethan as he approached her. "I know what happened to you, and you don't have to be like this. You can fight against them, I can help."

"Have you ever played chess Ethan?"

"Yeah."

"Very well then let us play," said Celeste as she moved one of the clear black pieces. "It will not only serve as a battle of wits, but it will help you to understand the forces around you. It is your mind against mine. Which one of us is going to come out on top?"

Ethan took a seat and as he did four faceless mannequins entered blocking the exit. He moved one of his white pieces and felt a strange weariness in his hand. "I know about the Ringmasters."

"I am not surprised," said Celeste with a smile as she moved a piece. "You and my son has always been resourceful children."

"He's not your son." He made his move.

"If he was, he would have joined me in my cause. Unfortunately I reached him far too late and he was lost to the likes you and those beasts you call friends."

"We will win," said Ethan as he took one of her pawns with a knight. His hand was beginning to shake. "We always have."

"Even after everything you've been through you still think you are in control." She took his knight with a bishop. "Allow me to clarify what really happened."

He moved another piece only to lose it. With a concentrated look she said: "I let Jesse tell you about our history because I was tired of facing such an inadequate opponent. I let you and your friends survive all this time to see if you could best me, best us. And since you have not your reward will be to watch as we turn Whitechapel pure."

"You think you've won," said Ethan as he took one of her knights. "But the game isn't over until the last piece remains."

"That is where you are wrong. In chess the game is decided by the final pieces. Unless can have the capabilities of pinning your opponent you would be chasing them around endlessly, and even though you think you can outsmart them you cannot. The winner is the one with the stronger army."

The orbs above them lowered. They showed people all around the city moving about unaware of the evil that lurked within. "This is my army Ethan."

One by one the posters, tickets, anything with Celeste's mark began to glow across the town of Whitechapel. As they did civilians fell to the ground in a deep sleep. He watched his teachers, his family, and fellow classmates all collapse. Before he could say anything else the orbs flashed to the ones who were awake, the ones who hadn't fallen under her spell, the ones who were frantically looking for an explanation. He heard the front gate open.

"The spell only works on normal people, this allows my faceless mannequins to find and target those who do not belong." The images showed the mannequins as they fanned out through city. "The purge has officially begun." She took his second knight.

"I have an army too," said Ethan as he moved his rook with his left hand. It began to shake as well.

"You mean your friends?" The images changed to Erica and Rory as they wandered through the library. "I took the liberty of removing them from the game."

* * *

_Erica looked down the empty row and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt cold, something wasn't right. To her vampire senses the air felt wrong, heavy with anger and death. Rory waved his flashlight around and stopped when he caught sight of a rat. _

_"Dinner," said Rory happily before noticing Erica's silence. "You ok? Every time I see a rat you always say I should eat better."_

_"I don't smell Eric," whispered the blonde as she turned to get a better look of the books around them. "You can't sense it?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Do you hear that?"_

_"Hear what?" asked Rory as he closed his eyes trying to pick up on the sounds. "I don't hear anything."_

_"Exactly," responded Erica as she grabbed his arms and pulled him towards the end of the aisle. "We need to get out of here there's no sound which means-"_

_Before they reached the end two mannequins appeared. They turned only to find two more emerging from the shadows. They were trapped._

* * *

"The next move was to make sure you had no allies." She took a rook.

* * *

_"You need to listen," said Sarah as she was thrown into the vampire council room. She looked over the desk at Anastasia. "You're under the control of the Ringmasters! Celeste wants us all gathered in one place so she can-"_

_"Silence," demanded Anastasia as she stood up her eyes the same blue color as Jesse's. She approached Sarah with an evil grin on her face. "I want to be the to personally stake her."_

_Jesse smiled. "And here I thought that honor was going to be mine."_

_Something began to bang against the door. The sound echoed throughout the chamber. The vampires turned towards the entrance and smiled before kneeling. In unison they said: _

_"Our new masters are here."_

_The wooden doors exploded inwards, and a dozen mannequins entered the room. Sarah looked at Anastasia and then at Jesse as the horror of the situation finally sank in._

* * *

"And now," she took his bishop. "I am going to take your best friend away from you."

* * *

_Benny felt his whole body flinch when the power suddenly went off in the auditorium. Some students let out screams while others laughed nervously. He felt his heart beat quicken in his chest and let out a sigh when the back up generators kicked in. He scanned the crowd looking for signs of Sarah and Jesse. Where were they? They only had-_

_Someone screamed and pointed at the doors. Mannequins were entering in through all the entrances. The students shouted and screamed as they backed away from the monsters until they were trapped in the center of the room. The lights began to flicker and silence took hold. Two of the tall creatures detached themselves from the group and began to approach him. _

* * *

"No," whispered Ethan as he watched as one my one the monsters closed in on his friends. "N-no..."

"But the best part of all," said Celeste with a deranged smile she moved her queen forward. "Is that I have you and your blood."

He look down and saw small amount of blood pooling around his white pieces. He looked up and felt his heart rate increase, this wasn't part of the plan. He made a move to get up when the mannequins behind him approached. He remained seated and watched his blood spread out.

The orbs on Celeste's staff began to glow, as it did the shadows from all around started to pull towards the Ringmasters. "Behold!"

"Celeste you don't have to do this!" yelled Ethan as the darkness cocooned around the bodies before rising into the sky. "You can stop this!"

She raised her arms up high and continued to stare at the pillars of darkness. "The rebirth of the Ringmasters!"

From within the pillars long arms began to appear. Little by little they emerged, now dressed entirely in Victorian clothing with a dark purple mark glowing on their hands. They were no longer faceless, for each one of them had a mouth filled with sharp and pointed teeth. The tallest of three smiled, its fangs shining in the moon light. They took a step forward and as they did Ethan felt anger and malice surge through the air.

He made a move to get up again and Celeste turned to him her eyes wild and unfocused.

"SIT!" She demanded as she looked down at the board. "Our battle isn't finished yet. I want you watch as your friends die knowing you've failed, knowing you were beaten by our superiority. I want you know the pain you monsters bring to this world, and I want you to watch as we cleanse! I've forced your king into check, your move boy."

Ethan felt himself lost for words as he stared at newly revived Ringmasters. He reached to move the white king, and as he did his brown eyes met Celeste's green. This was it, this was the end game

"You have no moves left," said Celeste eagerly as she waited for his move. "All you have left is a bishop, a rook, your king and some worthless pawns."

"That's what we wanted you to think," said Ethan as moved his bishop and smiled when her queen took it. He moved his rook and leaned back as the queen was banished from the board. "We needed you to think you were winning right up until the moment we sprang our trap."

* * *

_"We're going to die here," said Rory with a depressed sigh. "At least I get to die with a hot girl by my side."_

_Erica rolled her eyes and looked at Rory. Together they nodded and pulled several moonstones from their pockets. They tossed them to the ground at the monsters' feet and watched as the creatures shuddered before collapsing to the ground unable to move._

_Erica smacked Rory. "I hate it when you categorize me as 'hot girl', I am so much more than that. Now come on Eric's not here and the others are going to need our help."_

* * *

"Benny found a book by one of your ancestors in the underground library detailing how to fuse human emotions to a spell. Not only that but we accidentally discovered how to stop your mannequins when you sent one to attack my house on Monday. All it takes is a few moonstones to interrupt the flow of magic in their bodies."

"I planned for everything," whispered Celeste as she moved a pawn only to have it taken by Ethan. "Those books couldn't be removed, I tried to but they were bound by some magical force. It's not possible."

"But it is, and do you want to know why?"

* * *

_The creatures in the council room moved forward only to collapse as the symbols on Anastasia's necklace began to glow. The vampires wretched off the pins and Sarah smiled when she saw the both Anastasia and Jesse rubbing their heads._

"_You guys back?"_

"_She took over my mind," said the ancient vampire before standing up and letting out an inhuman scream. "She's going to pay for that!"_

_"Great," whispered Jesse as he looked from Sarah's calm form to Anastasia who was shaking with anger. "You've gone and gotten all worked up."_

* * *

"We knew you would try and separate us," said Ethan as he removed one of her pieces. "So we allowed ourselves to spread out among the city hoping you would do exactly what you did. The most logical people you would go after first would obviously be Jesse and Eric."

She looked at him but said nothing. Behind her the three Ringmasters continued to smile it was as if they were bathing in Ethan's victory.

"Jesse knew the ritual, and Eric is not only a fourth generation Weir, but has intimate knowledge of the circus. You would have to remove both if you wanted to stop us and you did. What's the best way to get rid of Jesse? To have the vampire council take him hostage of course. You knew one of us would have to after him, and you knew we'd send a vampire, since no one else can hold their own. Since you had Anastasia under your control you thought it would be simple, get them all in once place and then remove the problem. But thanks to you, you've led us to the army we needed and left yourself open for an attack."

"You couldn't stop my army even if you tried," hissed Celeste. "And you still don't know where Eric is and by the time you find him it'll be far too late."

* * *

_Benny smiled and turned the record on the table in front of him. The decorations above began to glow, all at once the lights exploded as a large orb of white energy began to surge back and forth. It bounced around the ceiling before zooming right through the first mannequin. It turned to dust as the orb went after the others._

_Benny smiled, tossed his headphones to the ground and headed for the exit. It was time for the counter attack._

* * *

"Doesn't matter," said Ethan with a smile. "See the only reason Benny agreed to DJ the dance was because he needed the energy of the students to generate the Breath of Life spell. And right now it's surging through the city as we speak destroying every last one of your monsters. Whatever you have guarding Eric will be destroyed and he'll come to us."

"So what?" said Celeste as she took one of his pawns. "That was just the advance team, there will be many more where those came from. The rest are safe within the confines of Everlasting Circus. You may have destroyed the mannequins in the city, and freed and raised the vampires to my presence, but they cannot enter my circus as long as the barrier is standing."

"Remember when Benny and I came into the circus to sample your magic? That wasn't the real reason we were here. Benny discovered you had the tents set up to create a large pentagram, and when we snuck in he had me place little tiny markers all across the circus. Do you know what those markers were for?"

"No..."

"Oh yes," said Ethan unable to keep his excitement in check. "They create a secondary seal over the first one, and thanks to that we were able to hijack your energy! The Breath of Life isn't being generated by a bunch of high-schoolers at a dance, it's being powered by every single one of those trapped emotions and more! Right now each of your symbols is glowing, so every poster, every necklace, anything with that symbol is feeding energy into the Breath of Life. Not only that but since energy isn't going into the barrier anymore-" He held up his hand.

A loud explosion resounded throughout the tent causing both Celeste and the Ringmasters to look up. The mannequins behind Ethan turned to dust as an orb of white light surged passed.

"No," whispered Celeste as she stood. She began to scream. "NO! NO! NO!"

"There's nothing left to guard your army or to stop the vampires from getting in." He moved his pawn and looked up. "Did you a pawn can be the most powerful piece in chess? People ignore it because it looks so weak, but when you move it to the other side of the board it can change into any piece you want, it can become the strongest weapon you have."

He stood up and slammed his hands against the table. "Your mannequins are being destroyed, you've raised an army of vampires against yourself, and to top it off your barrier is gone." He glared at her and yelled: "YOUR MOVE CELESTE!"

She said nothing and Ethan smiled as he looked down at the board. "I believe that's what you call check mate."

* * *

A/N: Next chapter was by far the hardest one to write for the story, and I can't wait to update it!


	11. All Out War

A/N: When I originally planned 'The Spellmaster's Mother', this chapter ended quite differently. In fact the story was supposed to continue on for another fifteen chapters at least (I know crazy right?). In the end I decided to scrap the second and third act because in reality they were all part of 'Benny's Boy', which I wasn't going to write at the time, and I really wanted to tell the tale brewing in my head.

Oh and before I forget someone asked how Ethan ended up bleeding, his chess pieces were rigged to steal his blood during the game. (Sorry I should have clarified better) But enough of that, I hope you enjoy my favorite chapter of the story!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 11: All Out War

Anastasia stood tall, and even with her child like exterior Benny had to admit she created an air of respect and control. He felt the night's gentle breeze at the back of his neck and watched as almost a hundred vampires appeared behind them. Several of them he knew from school and around the city, but for every one he knew there was a least six he didn't. Erica whispered into his ear:

"Those are vampires from Havenford city. She must've called them in to help." In the air above the Breath of Life moved to and fro destroying mannequins in both Whitechapel and the circus.

"Take it down," ordered the Anastasia in a booming voice as she pointed to Everlasting Circus below. The army rushed forward their fangs and eyes glowing in the evening light. "I don't want a single trace of that abomination left in my city! Destroy those monsters and bring me Celeste!"

"You're not going to join in?" asked Sarah from her place opposite the ancient girl. "I thought you wanted revenge."

"Anastasia never gets her hands dirty," said Jesse with a disapproving scowl. "That much hasn't changed."

"Come on," said Benny as he grabbed Sarah by the arm and motioned for Erica and Rory to follow. "We need to find Ethan and my mom before it's too late."

The group of friends ran forward. Far below the vampires had already broken down the fence, and were making their way through the circus. Tents were falling and fires began to rise as the chaos fanned out. Sarah exchanged a look with Benny as they got closer and closer. Somewhere in all that madness Ethan was trapped.

* * *

"Impossible," whispered Celeste as she heard the sound of metal being torn and destroyed. "It's not possible I had everything planned…. How is this possible?"

Ethan reached across the table and made a grab for her staff. She knocked him backwards with a slap and then brought it up high in the air. The tent's entrance tore open as several vampires rushed in. Masked performers and faceless mannequins ripped through the sides and began to fight with the intruders. Using the distraction to his advantage Ethan rolled under the table as Celeste's staff missed his head by an hair's width. She turned to the Ringmasters with a disgusted look on her face.

"I'm afraid I have failed you, it is time we took our leave."

The group exited through the back. Ethan slowly got up and watched as the vampires were torn in half by the tall mannequins. The monsters turned to him and before they could move were knocked down by a cart as it came crashing through. Once outside Ethan took a moment to examine the scene around him. Vampires and what remained of Celeste's army were fighting. Small fires burned here and there, dark pillars of smoke rose into the air, and tents collapsed as the fight spread out. Up above the Breath of Life zoomed around as it continued its genocidal quest.

Ethan charged after Celeste doing his best to avoid the battle around him. He watched as she blasted away vampires that dared make an attempt on either her or the Ringmasters. He ducked when the Memento Maximum tent suddenly exploded sending a shower of debris all around. From his left several dismembered performers charged. Without a dagger or any form of defense he held up his arms and closed his eyes.

"E!" cried overly cheery and familiar voice. He lowered his arms and smiled when he saw Rory holding back the creatures with the 'Test Your Strength' hammer. "This is so awesome it's like a destroy free for all!"

"Look out!" screamed Ethan as he tackled Rory to the ground. Celeste's lightning bolt soared past destroying what remained of the silver and bronze fountain. "Let the others know that Celeste and the Ringmasters are heading towards the midway!"

Rory nodded and vanished into the madness. Ethan followed after the group and watched as a mannequin was tossed into a an old arcade machine. Three vampires charged after it and disappeared into the Arcade Tent before it came crashing down. In the distance he saw a flash of purple light and heard what sounded like screams of pain. As he neared Celeste he reached our for her head. She slammed her staff against his stomach and unleashed a spell.

He felt himself fly backwards and crash against the ground.

"Ethan!" cried Sarah as she suddenly appeared at his side. Benny appeared moments later panting. "You're ok!"

"Not now!" screamed Ethan as the world swam before his eyes. He pointed at the four blurry figures. "They're trying to escape!"

Sarah's fangs appeared as she charged for them. There was a flash as Celeste caught Sarah with a blast of blue energy. Benny took a step forward with the Weir chakra wand and threw a fireball. His mother easily knocked it aside. In the distance a ferris wheel materialized before crashing down, and all around the lights began to explode one by one.

"You've destroyed the sanctity of my circus," said Celeste as she approached them with a lopsided smile. "Without the energy of the barrier every single one of my pocket dimensions are collapsing into this one, all my attractions and tents are just appearing."

"Good!" yelled Ethan as he stood up. Benny and Sarah moved to his sides. "We're going to stop you here and now!"

A firework shot past them and into a cluster of booths where it exploded. In the flash of red light Celeste's eyes turned black. "Allow me to handle them my masters." She pointed her staff at them and unleashed a flurry of energy. Ethan jumped to the side and watched as Rory appeared from above. He brought his hammer down against Celeste's staff.

"The one and only vampire ninja," declared the blonde in a sing-song voice. "To the rescue!"

"You're nothing more than an imbecile!" She spun the staff and slammed it against Rory's head. "I will-"

Benny threw his weight against her, and before she could react Sarah kicked her into the nearest booth. Behind them a tower appeared silhouetted by a purple light before collapsing against the ground with a resounding explosion. Several more flashes of purple, and all three Ringmasters smiled as they turned towards the chaos. Celeste emerged from the broken booth her hand glowing, and with a single wave scattered the four friends. The Ringmasters approached her and began to speak.

_"We have no further use for our pawn." "Indeed." "Aptly put."_

Celeste turned to them. "What?"

_"You have given us bodies." "We no longer require your assistance." "It is time we cut the dead weight."_

She raised her hand to attack and the shortest of the three blasted her backwards with a single flick of its finger. Ethan stood up and listened to the sounds of screams in the distance. It sounded almost as if they had stopped fighting and-

_"We have bodies." "Bodies designed to kill." "You are unnecessary."_

"Mom!" cried Benny as he ran over to Celeste. Sarah got up and ran at the Ringmasters. The middle one swung its arm and the young vampire stumbled backwards before collapsing, a large burn visible across her stomach. Ethan ran to her side looked down at her with tears welling up in his eyes.

_"You are fools." "Yours is a lost cause." "But do not fear." _

In unison they said:

_ "Project Halcyon has activated."_

"Ethan, Sarah, Benny!" screamed Erica as she appeared with Jesse as her side. Both were covered in dust and other debris. "We have to go there's-" She stopped when she saw Sarah lying on the ground. She looked at the three Ringmasters and charged. Ethan saw the glint of the tallest one's teeth and knew what was going to happen next.

It was going to cut Erica in half.

Everything was happening too fast for Ethan to do anything but watch helplessly. A blast of energy surged forward stopping both Erica and the Ringmasters. Ethan turned and watched as Benny held up the staff his face red with anger.

"Don't you dare touch her!" He fired another fireball, the Ringmasters held up their hands and stopped the attack before it even neared. There was a flash of purple lighting and Benny went sprawling across the floor. Erica flashed to his side, as Jessie stood to face them.

"You couldn't leave well enough enough alone could you?" asked the vampire as his fangs appeared. "You're monsters! We should've let you die! Instead we let our own revenge blind us!"

_"You still live?" "Immortality doesn't suit you." "Allow us to correct our mistake."_

They raised their hands and Jesse made a move to dodge it when he saw the real target was behind him: Ethan and Sarah. He closed his eyes, and held out his arms. The lightning struck him in the chest and he fell to his knees. He looked at Sarah and Ethan with a weakness in his eyes they had never seen before.

"L-like... I said... monsters."

The Ringmasters took a step back when Anastasia emerged from the wreckage of the circus looking disheveled. Several vampires ran past in fear while she stumbled towards them only to fall forward. Rory caught her as the Ringmasters smiled and in unison said:

_"The Vampire Queen lives."_

"We have to go," said Anastasia as she struggled to stand up. "Its coming." She peered around and took in the sight, each and every one of her allies was battered and bruised. There was a flash of purple light this time closer than before. She staggered past them and looked at the Ringmasters. "You did this."

"What's coming?" demanded Ethan as he stood up and looked at Anastasia and then back at the Ringmasters. "What's happening?"

The Ringmasters held up their hands and spoke as one:

_"When disease has spread beyond control extreme measures must be taken. In order to win, the board must be cleared of any and all obstacles. Behold the true purpose of Project Halcyon."_

Ethan watched as Eric emerged from the destruction, his eyes glowing a dark purple. He took a towards them and as he did purple energy surged forth. The vampires let out screams of pain, and Eric stopped moving with tears rolling down his cheeks. Benny slowly got up and looked from Erica to his son, and felt his heart race.

"What did you do to him?" demanded Ethan as he looked at the scared boy. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

_"Project Halcyon is the first ever magically created bomb."_

"Bomb..." whispered Ethan as he felt his stomach churn. Eric was glowing the same color as the Luficractor, as Stern before... before... "You turned him into a bomb."

"No," said Benny as he got up. He looked at the boy with tears in his eyes. "NO! NO! NO! NO!" He charged at the Ringmasters with hatred only to be knocked backwards. Ethan saw blood pour from the wound on Benny's face, and felt bile at the back of his throat. Eric ran forward causing several ripples of purple energy. The vampires screamed in pain unable to move and the Ringmasters began to laugh.

_"We have learned those like you will always exist. The only way to purge, is to reset the board and to remove all unnecessary obstacles in our way. That includes those with ideals, those that threaten the peace we desire. In order to break those like you, we created Project Halcyon, a young innocent child that becomes our most dangerous weapon."_

From the corner of his eye Ethan caught Celeste stirring on the ground. He got up and looked down at Sarah who was shaking in pain. "You won't be able to escape either."

_"We do not fear death." "We will gladly sacrifice ourselves and start the process over again." "We have undone the curse, but its effects will remain within our souls forever."_

"Even if they're bodies die," whispered Jesse as he struggled to stand up. "They're souls can't be destroyed."

_"We have been gifted with a power far beyond immortality." "We shall not stray from using it." "Today this city will be purged."_

Then together:

_"You however, will die by our hands. You who has ruined our plan. You who has threaten our world. And you who dares to befriend monsters such as __these."_

The tallest approached Ethan and raised its hand high into the air. Ethan closed his eyes, and awaited the strike. When he felt no pain he looked up and saw Jesse standing in front of him with the Ringmaster's hand stuck in his chest and one dark purple nail exiting through his back. He managed a weak smile.

"Its time... to make... amends for... my... mistakes." He slumped forward and gave the Ringmaster one last look. "Your... blind... spot." He bit down on the creatures arm with the last of his strength. The Ringmaster pulled its arm free and watched as Jesse's body turned to dust, Anastasia let out a scream before leaning forward and crying. The Ringmaster's arm began to convulse, the other two raised their hands and before it could say anything blasted it backwards. Eric's skin began to give off a purple glow.

_"It takes twenty-four hours for Project Halcyon to build up the necessary magic to detonate." "Combined with its Weir bloodline all creatures not Spellmaster will perish._"

"It's going to be ok," whispered Benny as he pulled the Eric close to him. Tears ran down his cheeks, and sobs racked his body as he rocked the boy back and forth. "It's going to be ok."

Blue chains exploded from the ground and wrapped themselves around all three Ringmasters. Celeste stood up with the Weir chakra wand in one hand and her staff in the other. She looked at them with clear green eyes and began to yell.

"You stole my life from me! You created a grandson for my family and then turned him into a living experiment!" Benny looked over and Ethan, Celeste was back, the real Celeste. "You call yourselves Ringmasters but you forget I CREATED EVERLASTING CIRCUS WHICH MEANS I'M THE ONLY REAL RINGMASTER!"

She stuck her staff into the ground and took a step back. Five pillars blue of light rose into the night sky. "You may be strong but the symbol was created with Weir magic, which means only I can access its powers." The two standing Ringmasters struggled against their binds as the realization dawned on them: "That's right I'm sending us all to hell." She turned to Ethan and the others. "Get clear of the barrier before it's too late."

Benny made a move to grab Eric when Celeste place her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, and knew what she was going to say. He continued to cry and whispered: "No..."

"I'm so sorry," said Celeste as she placed a kiss on her son's forehead. "But he can't leave, if he does then everyone dies. We have to stay."

"Benny come on!" yelled Ethan as he helped Sarah to her feet. In the distance another attraction appeared before collapsing to the ground. He put her arm around his shoulder and held out his free hand. "We have to get out of here."

"I'm not going to leave Eric or my mom! I can't! I won't!" He looked at Celeste and watched as she took a step back her hand in Eric's. "I don't want to lose you again!"

Erica grabbed him and whispered: "I'm sorry Benny, but I won't let you stay here." She pulled him towards the exit as he fought against her.

Ethan took one last look over his shoulder and watched as Celeste turned to face the Ringmasters with Eric by her side. She gave them a reassuring smile as the ground began to glow bright white.

The two standing Ringmasters broke free of the chains and surrounded the remaining Weirs.

_"You choose to destroy us?" "Have you learned nothing?"_

Eric placed his hand on the staff and looked up at Celeste who in turn gave him a nod.

"I have learned all your dark secrets and arts," said the Celeste as she glared at them. "And I'm not going to just destroy you. I'm going to make sure you can never come back, I'm sending us all to the Abyss."

_"You cannot." "It takes more power than you have."_

"No," answered Celeste as white energy began to fill the air around them. "With the life energy of two Weirs and the magic of four you will die."

_"Then the last of the Weir line goes with us!"_

* * *

Ethan stumbled forwards onto the green grass with Sarah and smiled when Erica, Rory, Benny, and Anastasia appeared moments later. They looked like death, Benny with the large cut across his face, Rory with a dark bruise on his, and Sarah with her burn, but they were alive. Injured beyond normal means maybe, but alive. He turned to comfort his friend when a large shadow hand emerged from the light. Reacting on instinct he shoved Benny out of the way and felt himself pulled in.

"Ethan!" screamed Benny and Sarah as they reached out for him. The light suddenly faded and all that was left was an empty field. The circus and everything in it was gone.

* * *

A/N: As you can see no one is safe, I'll see you next time for the second to last chapter of 'The Spellmaster's Mother'!


	12. A Means to an End

A/N: Here we go, one step closer to the end! Enjoy and don't forget the A/N at the bottom!

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Chapter 12: A Means to an End

_"How could you put this feeling into words?"_ Thought Ethan as he felt everything and nothing rushed past him. Even with his eyes closed he could feel his body free-falling, and yet something wasn't right. There was more to it than just falling, he was... _"Slipping away... That's it. It's like I'm slipping away from everything."_

"Ethan you have to wake up," said a panicked voice from somewhere far in the distance. "You need to open your eyes!"

"_**If you wake up then you'll be lost to the world**_," whispered a calm voice from within his mind. "**_Don't let it fool you, it wants you to lose everything."_**

"Don't listen to it! Unless you open your eye your going to be erased!"

"**_Open them and you will lose everything. You will nothing more than a hollow shell._**"_  
_

_Benny crying as people dressed in black gathered around him. __His friends as they fought to protect Whitechapel. __Sarah leaning down to bite his arm. __The large purple explosion of the Lucifractor._

Ethan let out a scream of pain as the memories and more flashed through his mind. They were pulling him apart, and everything about them hurt. He needed to escape them, from himself, he wanted it to stop. No more memories, no more pain, no more Ethan.

"You can't let it have its way!"_ A long forgotten summer's day with his friends._

**_"Don't let it break you._**" _A quiet evening watching movies with Sarah._

_"Ethan," _whispered an entirely new voice._ "You need to fight."_

Ethan opened his eyes, and stumbled backwards as he took in his surroundings. All around his memories rushed past and into an everlasting darkness, he looked down at the small white platform and turned around wildly searching for answers. Where was he? What was happening? Was he dead? At the for end of the white floor Celeste appeared and ran over to him with her glowing staff in hand.

"We're inside your mind," said Celeste before he could ask any questions. "I'll explain more later, I'm afraid this battle is far from over."

"Battle?" asked Ethan as he shook his head trying to understand. "What do you mean-"

The platform shook as a large hand materialized from the shadows and slammed down against the edge. Another appeared on the far left and Ethan did his best to stay up right as the ground continued to shake. He watched as the creature's body emerged and felt his heart sink when it towered far above them. The tallest of the Ringmasters looked down with a glowing white smile.

"It's... huge..." whispered Ethan as he backed away from it in fear. "H-how did it get so big?"

"Its been trying to take control of your mind," whispered Celeste as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's why I had to wake you up, if I didn't you would've become its new vessel."

_"You did well to escape from my powers. Who or what gave you the will to fight?"_

Ethan thought about the mysterious voice and answered: "I don't know."

It held out its hand and Ethan felt a strange pressure come crashing down all around. He collapsed to the floor and saw Celeste struggling to stand up behind him. The Ringmaster brought a hand down with a slam that sent Ethan sideways and to the very edge of the large white floor. He stared into the emptiness beyond and quickly backed away.

_"You ruined the plans of my brothers and I. But I still exist and will purge you from within."_

Glowing purple lights appeared in the air above them and a moment later lighting came crashing down. The platform shook as several pieces fell away and Ethan once against found himself facing the vast emptiness. He looked up at the towering monster and closed his eyes when more lightning came down.

"You have to fight!" He opened them and found Celeste standing in front of him. She held the golden staff with both hands and turned to look at him with fear in her eyes. "If it knocks you into the darkness you'll be lost forever, Ethan you need to fight."

"How? Its so much bigger-"

"That isn't the boy who fought to protect both Whitechapel and his friends! This is your mind, this is who you are, this is your fight and no one else's! Your memories will protect you!"

The white floor broke in half and he watched as Celeste nodded to him before plummeting into the darkness below. The Ringmaster's hand came down and Ethan felt air rush against him as he was lifted far above. He stared right into its smile and covered his ears when it spoke.

_"When I am finished with you, your friends, and your family will meet the same fate as Project Halcyon. They will be weapons in my new crusade."_

All around his memories changed to Eric as he emerged from the ruins of the circus with his eyes glowing purple. The Ringmaster bent forward and let out a growl of pain. It staggered backwards for a moment and he felt is hand tighten around his body.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" screamed Ethan as he flushed red with anger. The images began to change, Sarah's burn, the blood on Benny's face, and Jesse's final smile before fading away. "You've hurt too many people!"

The Ringmaster bellowed in pain and kneeled over, and as it did its grip on Ethan loosened. He jumped from fee from its hand and landed with a crash onto what remained of the white floor. The creature reared back is arm in an attempt to clear the entire platform and stopped when chains exploded from the shadows and pierced it through its hands. It yelled in anger and for a moment struggled against the binds before it trust against the ground unable to move.

"This is my mind," said Ethan as he approached and stared into its empty face. "You don't belong here."

_"I am everything you fear."_

From the shadows the circus emerged, and with it performers that had long ago mocked a scared boy. The memories changed, this time to a young Ethan as he cried on the floor of a circus lost and looking for the family he was sure had abandoned him. Ethan took in a deep breath and felt tears well up in his eyes.

_"Your fear will become your undoing."_

"No," said Ethan with confidence as the shadows closed in around him. More chains shot forward piercing the Ringmaster through its back. "I'm not afraid!"

* * *

_They were laughing at him because he was scared, because he was alone. Ethan hugged his knees close to his chest and continued to cry__. He heard someone begin to yell, it sounded like another boy and his message was loud, clear and straight to the point._

_"Stop laughing at him! He's scared! Can't you tell?" He felt someone pat him on the back. "It's gonna be ok, I promise."_

_"__I lost my family," managed Ethan as he shook his head and tried his best to stop crying. Through his tears he could only make out the dark silhouette of another kid. "And-and I can't find them!" _

_"I'll help you find them!" The boy turned away and for an awful moment Ethan thought he was going to leave. Instead he began to call out. "Mom! Mom! I found kid and he's lost! We need to help him find his family!"_

_"Oh dear," whispered a woman as she approached him and kneeled down. "Are you ok?" When he shook his head she leaned forward wiped the tears way from his cheeks. "No more tears, I promise everything's going to be ok. We'll find your family." She gave him a warm smile and asked: "Do you have name?"_

_"E-Ethan."_

_"Hello Ethan my name is Celeste," said the woman as she stood up and held out her hand. He took it and she gently helped him to his feet. "And this is-"_

_"I'm Benny!" said the boy as he jumped forward and flashed him a smile. He stuck out his hand. "I'm the best when it comes to finding lost stuff. Don't worry I'll keep you safe!"_

_Ethan nodded and held out his own hand. The next thing he knew he was being pulled along by the hyperactive child. "Weir's always protect their friends, and we're friends right?"_

_"R-right."_

* * *

The Ringmaster let out a scream of pain and ripped free from the chains before staggering backwards into the shadows. Celeste appeared at his side and held up the staff. There was a flash of bright purple light and from the darkness the Ringmaster's hand surged forth. Ethan felt a white-hot pain surge through his body as it made contact with his forehead.

_"The Ringmasters... defeated."_

* * *

The darkness and sudden pain gave way and Ethan opened his eyes with a startled gasp.

He was no longer standing on the small platform of his mind, instead he was laying on what appeared to be a vast field of grass as the sky filled with images illuminated by a soft blue glow. He slowly sat up and let out a groan as he felt his injuries from the last few hours burn across his body. Some distance away Celeste was kneeling against the ground panting, and behind her Eric stood with a content look.

"Thank goodness..." whispered Celeste as she watched him approach. "I was worried we were going to lose you at the last second."

"What happened?"

"The Ringmasters pulled you into my spell, and once you entered the light your mind became an open book. In one final act of defiance against me they tried to take over your body. I had to use most of my remaining magic to enter in after them and save you."

"Are you going to be ok?" asked Ethan as he noted her white complexion and shaking hands. "We have to get you-"

"No," said Celeste with a smile as she looked around at the images that were rushing past their field. "This is a means to an end."

"What's happening?" asked Ethan as he slowly looked around and tried to maintain his balance. All around pictures, memories, and events he had never seen were rushing past. "Where are we?"

"We're plummeting through reality. The circus existed in its own personal pocket dimension, I uprooted it and removed the bindings. We are literally falling through existence now."

"I don't understand," said Ethan as he watched several random scenes rush past. There was one of two Sarahs standing side by side, another of a large bronze reindeer, and the one that stuck his as oddest was Benny holding a baby boy who looked strangely like... "If we are falling through reality, then why are there these pictures of things I've never seen and stuff we've never done."

"Reality exists as a whole, in other words there is no one set dimension. There are billions upon billions of them, and they are passing by us now. We are seeing alternate versions of you, different Ethans from different dimensions and time streams."

"Different versions," he reached out for the soft blue light. "Of me."

"Don't. It's impossible to interact with the other worlds, and furthermore nothing can exist outside of reality. The moment your body stepped out of this field you would be erased completely from your own dimension."

"Does that mean we're going to die?"

"Yes and no. What I've done requires the complete sacrifice of a person's life energy. What awaits us at the end of the tunnel is an eternity of nothingness, just blank emptiness where you exist and you don't. A punishment where you are forced acknowledge yourself and watch as who you are vanishes into infinity. It is a punishment I would wish on none expect for these monsters. As for you Ethan, you will return home."

"What about Eric?" asked Ethan suddenly as he looked at the boy. "Wasn't he supposed to... explode?"

"I used his life energy to power my spell and to nullify the effects of the Ringmasters cruel experiments. He has no place in this world, at least not yet. But one day he will, but this one," she ruffled Eric's hair and was reward with a shy smile. "This Eric Weir deserves to rest. He's had much to cruel an existence."

"Who is Eric really?" demanded Ethan as he thought about everything that had transpired. "He only has Benny's DNA, there's no way he can exist! Even with magic, it's not possible. And he was-" he pointed at the images rushing past. A young teenager in a hotel room, a boy flying with black wings, and a small baby in Benny's arms. "He's there!"

Eric smiled his eyes sparkling a bright blue and Celeste gave a weary nod. "Eric is an anomaly that much I will admit, but he is Benny's son. His existence is impossible in both magic and science. The truth is I didn't create him, I found him. While working on a way to duplicate my son's DNA a flash of purple filled my tent, and when it faded a young infant was all that was left. Deep down that little part of me that still existed knew I couldn't tell the Ringmaster's he was found, and instead I told them I managed to create him. I couldn't do anything to stop them from the experiments they did but I kept his origin secret."

"If Eric wasn't created then where did he come from?"

She motioned to the worlds passing by. "He came from one of these different worlds. I couldn't let the Ringmasters know that, if they did they're would be no telling how far they would go to try and duplicate his methods of travel."

"I thought it was impossible to interact with the other dimensions," whispered Ethan as he tried to piece together the mystery. "Does this mean we can? Will there be a way to bring you back?"

"No," said Celeste firmly as she pulled the young child close to her. "Once we're in the Abyss we'll be lost forever."

"You're not even going to try and fight it? You're going to just... give up?"

"Ethan," whispered Celeste as she approached him and placed a hand against his cheek. "I was robbed of nine years of my own life. I didn't get to watch my child grow up, instead I spent it trapped by those monsters." She nodded towards the two bound Ringmasters on the far end of the field. "I did things that no person should ever have to do, things I ashamed to have been a part of. I don't belong to the world anymore, and I need to make sure that you and my son, and all your friends can live your lives without the threat of these beasts. Like earlier, this is a means to an end."

Ethan nodded solemnly as he peered at the two faceless monsters. Another thought suddenly occurred to him. "Where's the third one?"

"I'm sorry Ethan... It was the only way." He gave her a confused look. "Even with you fighting back I didn't have enough power to stop its last attack... Using your ability and my magic I sealed it deep within the recesses of your mind, but... it came at a cost."

"What kind of cost?"

"You won't be able to have visions anymore and your eyes... they've changed. They're purple now."

"It's ok," whispered Ethan with a smile. "My visions aren't what made me, and even if I don't have them I'll still be able to fight. Besides the Ringmasters are gone now." After a moment he asked: "What happens next?"

"Eric and I die and you get to go home, to be with your friends and family."

_"You... cannot... win."_

They watched as one the bound Ringmasters struggled to reach out for them.

_"There are... millions... of dimensions out there... We need to win... in only... one."_

"I'll stop you in each them," said Eric as he stepped forward with a smile that was uniquely Benny's. "Because I'm the Impossible Child."

Ethan turned him. "The voice!"

"Time is up," said Celeste as she handed him the golden staff and placed a kiss on his forehead. "This will take you back home." Tears began to run down her cheeks. "Tell Benny how proud of him I am, and that's he's growing up to be a fine young man. And thank you for looking out for my son."

Ethan nodded and felt himself pulled up. He watched as the field vanished into the darkness below and closed his eyes against the sudden vertigo. When he opened them he was sitting in an open field with the sun beaming down from high above. He closed his eyes and collapsed against the grass enjoying the simple warmth. He smiled when he heard the familiar voices of Sarah and Benny calling out his name.

"Ethan!"

He felt their arms wrap around him and began to cry with happiness. It was finally over.

* * *

A/N: The epilogue is all that's left and with it the close of this story! If you're interested in Eric (and believe me he has a story that will explore both of his appearances in here. That's right Eric was in here twice and I'll give you a cookie if you can find out where) then I suggest you read Benny's Boy (he also has full on appearances in both my stories 'Benny's Baby' and 'A Very Whitechapel Christmas', and a small cameo in 'SaraharaS', all of which will be explained). If you have any questions ask and I will answer them! For now enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!


	13. Epilogue: Just Another Day

A/N: The final chapter! Enjoy, and special thanks to: TeamEthanMorgan, shiki94, funkybananas47, and Dominus Trinus 13 for all the kind reviews! Here it is the final chapter. Don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom.

* * *

The Spellmaster's Mother

Epilogue: Just Another Day

The soft spring days and cool evenings gave way to heat as summer rapidly descended on Whitechapel. Schools were let out, the days became longer, and with the change in seasons a sense of normality returned. The circus was forgotten, the mysterious slumber that had taken hold became a taboo subject, and the cases of missing teenagers who vanished on the same night had been all been declared closed. The field remained abandoned, and in its farthest corner a large oak tree stood tall and proud an oddity in the otherwise empty clearing. For most everyone the events of four months ago never happened, but for a select and unfortunate few it would live on as scars and in memory forever.

Ethan stifled a yawn as he wandered aimlessly through the midday heat in search of Benny or Sarah. With no real destination in mind he walked towards the field, and thought about the proposal he had put before the Vampire Council. With some time, and a little funding the open area would hopefully one day be home to 'Everlasting Gardens', a small memorial for those who had died. As he wandered into the clearing he recalled the night from four months ago, and felt a strange wave of depression wash over him. Unconsciously he clenched his gloved fists only to relax his grip when he caught sight of Benny reading a spell book underneath the shade of the tall oak.

"I figured I'd find you here," said Ethan as he took a seat next to his best friend. He felt the cool shade wash over his body and closed his eyes in content. "What are you doing?"

"Practicing magic," whispered Benny as he flipped the page and muttered several incantations under his breath. Ethan cracked open an eye and watched as the entire area filled with white flowers. The brunette picked one up and after examining it for a moment said: "I need to get better."

"You're getting pretty good."

"Getting pretty good isn't the same as being good. You saw what my mom was able to do, I want to be able to do all that and more. Not only that but maybe... maybe I can bring her back." Ethan frowned as he recalled Celeste's warning, they couldn't interact with another dimension, but more than that they shouldn't, especially when it came to one as dangerous as the Abyss. "I know what you're thinking E, but we have to try."

"Your mom gave up her life and Eric's to stop and destroy the Ringmasters," answered Ethan honestly as he turned to face his friend. "She had to use her own life energy to open the portal, and if you somehow managed to open it there's no guarantee of what would come come out."

"It's not only that," answered Benny as he unconsciously placed a hand against the scar that now ran across the bridge of his nose. Even with Evelyn's magic they had been unable to close the wound, just another parting gift from the monsters they had bested. "But maybe I can fix you."

Ethan looked down at his gloved hands and did his best to smile. In the back of his mind the memories of his reappearance surged forth with a mixture of pain and sadness. He could see everything so clearly... He had just appeared in the field, could feel his friends wrapping their arms around him, could feel his own tears of happiness running down his cheeks, it was over... Until both Benny and Sarah pulled away screaming in pain in agony, looking at him wildly, and though he didn't have his powers he could sense their thoughts. They were taking at his purple eyes, and his new newfound curse... They were looking at him differently.

_"The Touch of the Ringmaster..." _thought Ethan as he sighed. The inability to touch supernatural beings, purple eyes, and the loss of his visions, all of them gifts from the Ringmasters, who in even defeat still won. "I don't think it can be undone, whatever your mom did I think it's permanent."

"It doesn't matter how long it will take or how far I have to go," said Benny as he continued to flip through the book. "I'm going to find a cure because it's not fair."

"You know Sarah told me the same thing the other day. She also said she's leaving soon, but she won't tell me where."

Benny didn't comment on that last part and instead said: "You're so calm about this. You can't touch me, or Jane, or even Sarah, doesn't that just kill you?"

"It does," said Ethan as he looked at his black gloves. "But for now I just have to deal with it."

Benny closed his spell book and leaned against the tree. He stared up at all the green leaves and the watched as they danced in the afternoon breeze. After a few minutes of peace Ethan smiled when he heard the approach and familiar voice of another person. "Sleeping in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Don't judge us," said Ethan with a laugh as he peered up at Sarah. "Besides how can you not want to just sit down and relax, especially when it's so nice out?"

"You're starting to sound like Benny," answered Sarah with a smile. She took a next to him, placed her hand on his and whispered sadly: "I'm leaving in a week."

Ethan's hand flinched, and without looking at her he nodded. Benny shook his head in disapproval and sighed, before asking: "Where are you going?"

"Greece."

"Greece?" said Benny and Ethan in unison. "What's in Greece?"

"A cure for you," said Sarah as she gave Ethan a determined look. "I was doing some research and I think I may have found Pandora's Box. According to what I read it's the ultimate supernatural prison, and once something is sealed within it, only the person who sealed it can release it. In other words if we manage to remove the Ringmaster from Ethan's mind and lock in the box, then it'll be gone forever."

"Pandora's Box..." whispered Ethan as a smile spread out across his face. "Sarah's that's amazing, how did you come up with that?"

Sarah shrugged, and as she did he leaned his head on her shoulder. As long as there was no skin contact he would be ok, but more importantly so would she. "Can you promise me something?"

"It depends," said the vampire as she watched the sun rays filter in through the tree's leaves and branches. "What did you have in mind?"

"Promise me when you get back we can finally go on that date, the one that got ruined by the circus."

"You mean the one you were too scared to go on at that time?" asked Sarah with a teasing smile. Benny snorted and tried his best to cover it up with a cough. "Of course, as long as you don't chicken out on me that is."

Ethan smiled and snuggled into her. "You're comfortable."

"You never say that about me," muttered Benny with a lopsided smile as he lay on Ethan's shoulder. "And I'm as attractive as Sarah is."

Ethan sat up and gave him look and before he knew it was laughing alongside his friends. In the distance Rory's excited screams could be heard and with them the roar of some unknown beast.

"Looks like our peaceful afternoon is over," said Sarah with a sigh. Her eyes began to glow yellow and as they did her fangs appeared. "You know what though, I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world."

"It's who we are," said Benny as he stood up and held out his hand. Celeste's large golden staff appeared. "You guys ready?"

"Just another day in Whitechapel," said Ethan as his eyes began to glow purple. He pulled off his gloves and looked at his friends. "Let's do this."

The End

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A/N: There you have it the aftermath of everything that transpired. Originally I planned on having Ethan die but I thought that would be to cruel, so instead I opted for the lesser of two evils. But this is the conclusion, will there be a sequel? I doubt it I don't don't really do sequels. Thanks again to all those who reviewed, and I hope you'll stick around for the next two stories I plan on writing, one that deals with the Headless Horsemen (and will go up in October), and the other that deals with fairy tales (and should be up within a week or two). Take care, thanks for reviewing and stay cool!-Takarifan101


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